Ghosts Of The Present
by artistic-chick13
Summary: A new girl comes to Sky High with her siblings and runs into some problems. Things get worse when two unlikely suitors fight over her.
1. Sky High

Disclaimer: Yeah, I don't own any of the characters from the Sky High movie, but I do own Eve, Beck, Kyle, and their dad. And any other characters I think of later.

Chapter 1: Sky High

"Wake up, Eevee! We wouldn't want you to be late for your first day at Sky High, now would we? Oh, I'm just so proud, my little girl's going to my old school! Eevee? Eve. Evelyn, get out of bed right now!"

I poked my head sleepily out of my blankets for a second, stared groggily at my dad, and made some non-committal noise, then promptly buried further into the warm comforter. I was having a really good dream, and I wasn't coming back to reality without a fight.

My dad sighed impatiently, and then gave me an ultimatum.

"Evelyn, if you don't get out of bed in three seconds, I'll be forced to get you out myself. One… Two… Three. You brought this on yourself."

All of a sudden, my world turned upside down. Literally.

"Aww, Dad. I should never have let you watch The Pacifier," I groaned from my position sprawled out on the floor.

He'd tossed my mattress, and everything on it, to the ground. If you've ever seen that movie, you know what I mean. For a brief moment, I considered falling back asleep right there on the floor, but decided against that course of action; if my dad was so set on getting me up that he flipped my bed out from under me, he wasn't going to rest until I was on the bus.

"Fine, I'm getting up. Agh! Trying to anyway. I'm a little tangled up," I explained.

Dad left the room, and I heard him walk across the hall to Beck's room. Of course, she was already up; she was the one who actually wanted to go to that school.

Let me explain, my name is Evelyn Grey, but everyone calls me Eve or Eevee because I don't like the 'Lyn' part. My parents are divorced and my sister, my brother, and I live with my father. That's because my mother is…never mind. Anyway, my dad, Jonathan Grey, is a super hero: Copycat. He can copy people's powers and use them for a couple hours or so. Not one of the most powerful super heroes, but my mom was more than famous enough to compensate for that. I don't want to talk about her. Back on track, my siblings and I are triplets—not identical, but similar—and were born and raised in Canada; in a town in the middle of nowhere in Alberta, to be a bit more precise. We moved to the US of A during the summer. Since my parents went to Sky High, my dad was determined to send Rebecca, who we call Beck, Kyle, and I to the school for kids with powers. That's all well and good for Beck and Kyle. Beck inherited dad's power-copying powers, and Kyle can phase through solid matter, teleport, and become invisible, which are some powers he inherited from…mom.

Unlike them, however, I don't have powers, or else they haven't manifested yet. I'm something of a pessimist, so I'm pretty sure I'm just not getting any powers. Naturally, I don't want to make a fool of myself by going to a school for super-kids and not having super-powers. There's no arguing with my dad though; he just keeps assuring me that I'll get my powers sooner or later. Ha, yeah right.

Enough with the background information. I managed to crawl out of my blankets before they strangled me to death. I rummaged through my closet and pulled out some tight-ish dark jeans and a long-sleeved dark grey shirt. I pulled some navy socks and black runners, then put on my necklace, which was just a plain black cord with a quarter-sized metal disc with an interesting design on it. I looked in the mirror and ran a brush through my shoulder-length dark brown hair. I added a touch of mascara to compensate for what I believe are the woefully thin lower lashes of my otherwise decent sky blue eyes. I grabbed my zippered dark blue sweater and my black messenger bag, and was out of there. I'm not much for how I look, unlike Beck.

Speaking of Beck, I could hear her berating Kyle as I came down the stairs, and about how he looked, coincidentally.

"Kyle, you can't go around looking like you just got out of bed! Have you ever heard of a brush? People are going to know you're my brother, and I don't want you dragging my name down," she fumed.

Kyle was just munching on toast and jam, giving her a nonplussed look. The rant continued, but I wouldn't want to pain you with reciting it all. I walked into the kitchen and grabbed a bagel, so she turned her tongue on me.

"The same goes for you, Eve! I can't believe I'm related to you guys--" I cut her off with a look.

Kyle and I are very good at conveying all our thoughts with a look. It's a good way to stop Beck if she's already started; you can't get a word in edgewise then. She's not usually like this, but I guess she's worried about new school first impressions and all that.

As I was spreading blueberry cream cheese on my bagel, I heard Beck mutter under her breath, "Well, at least she's not wearing that hat."

"That reminds me," I said as I snatched my hat out from under a newspaper and gave Beck a glare for trying to hide it. I don't know what her problem was with my black Oakley hat. I put it on, ignoring her scowl.

Beck is the popular one of us triplets; she's all about image. She had her long, dyed chestnut brown hair done up in a bun with some curls cascading down, and her make-up was done just so to compliment her grey-green eyes, which are the same as Kyle's. She was wearing a denim skirt that ended just above her knees, a light pink tank top, and a preppy-looking bright blue sweater-type thing. See, I'm terrible with words. She also wore bright red sandals with heels to make her as tall as me; which is about 5'8". She must've spent forever getting dressed.

Kyle on the other hand actually did look like he just got out of bed. Well, his shaggy, sandy brown hair did anyway. It always looks like that, though. I thought it looked alright, but then I was the only one not to inherit dad's sandy brown hair, so maybe I was just jealous of the colour because…never mind. Kyle is tall, about 6'2", and lithe. He was wearing a dark LPU shirt and baggy jeans. He was the laid-back triplet.

I would be the 'I don't really care' triplet, which is somewhat different than laid-back.

I was halfway through my bagel when dad came in beaming and told us we should be going. Beck grabbed both Kyle and I roughly by the arm and pulled us out the door, barely giving us time to get our bags, and my bagel. She was growling about getting to the bus stop on time even if she had to pull our arms out of their sockets to do so. To prevent that, I pulled my arm out of her death-grip. Kyle teleported a couple meters ahead and flexed his arm to make sure she hadn't broken anything. Beck's dark scowl discouraged any conversation, so we got to the bus stop and waited in silence.

After a few minutes, an ordinary-looking school bus pulled up at the bus stop. Beck plastered a big smile on her face. I thought that maybe I could still make a run for it, but when I looked back I saw that dad was peeking around a corner at us; making sure we got on the bus. Great. Now I had no choice.


	2. Avoiding Confrontation

Disclaimer: Yeah, I don't own any of the characters from the Sky High movie, but I do own Eve, Beck, Kyle, and their dad. And any other characters I think of later.

Chapter 2: Avoiding Confrontation

The bus doors swung open and a portly guy with an orange-and-white hat greeted us cheerfully, "You must be new! Hurry up; we don't have all day!"

"Is this the bus to Sk—mmph!"

The driver clamped a hand over Beck's mouth, cutting her off as he hissed, "Do you want every super-villain in the neighbourhood to know we're here?"

Beck indignantly pulled away, and after collecting herself she flounced off to find a seat by some girl that was dressed a lot like her. Already making friends, how nice.

Kyle just nodded a greeting to the driver and continued on to slide into the closest available seat, to which the girl he sat beside no objection. She giggled and started introducing herself immediately, assuming that he sat there because of her.

I got to the top of the steps before the doors closed on me and glanced at the driver's nametag, saying, "Sup, Ron?"

He squinted at me and said, "The name's Ron Wilson: Bus Driver. What's your name, freshman?"

He was annoying me a bit now, so I replied sarcastically, "Well, 'Ron Wilson: Bus Driver', I am not a freshman, I'm a sophomore. And it's Eve. Evelyn Grey."

I knew a split-second later that I shouldn't have said my last name and wished the words would fly back into my mouth. No such luck. Ron's face paled and I knew the damage was done. Before he could say anything I turned and stalked down the aisle. Fortunately, the people who were close enough to hear didn't appear to have been paying attention. Just to be safe, I picked the farthest seat away from the front to sit in. As I looked at the back seats surrounding me, I realized that maybe sitting there hadn't been my best idea of the day. Actually, I'd just had a string of stupid ideas so far, starting with getting out of bed.

I was in the second seat from the back on the right, and directly behind me were two mean-looking characters. I couldn't see their faces very well because they were leaned in, having a conversation with each other. One was a fat guy wearing a black and white hat, a sports jacket thing, and an evil grin on his face. The other was a tall guy with long brown hair that almost hid his eyebrows, an identical evil grin, a black shirt with the number twenty-three on it, and…really ridiculous black-and-white striped sleeves. I almost laughed, but they were obviously bullies, so I refrained from doing yet another stupid thing. They hadn't noticed me sit there because they were too preoccupied plotting with their heads together, the odd chuckle escaping as they planned God knows what.

In the back seat on the left was yet another mean-looking guy. Tall, dark, and scary would be a very good way to describe this guy; with his shoulder-length black hair complete with a red streak, black leather jacket, and a deep scowl to perfect the image. It all screamed badass, and since this was a school for kids with super powers, crossing any one of these guys could be a very, very dumb move.

The guy in black noticed my glance, and directed a dark glare at me. I just rolled my eyes and returned to my bagel, completely unfazed. Then, I mentally smacked myself in the forehead as his scowl deepened. After what I just said about not crossing these guys, I'd went and done it anyway. I'm an idiot.

In order to avoid any more confrontation, I took out my headphones and proceeded to listen to Linkin Park and eat the rest of my breakfast. Just as I licked the last crumbs off my fingers and pulled out my drawing book; hoping to make a few sketches of some of the people I'd seen on the bus, seat belts came out of the seats. Abruptly the bus was in mid-air, plummeting to the ground. Before I got over my initial shock, the bus sprouted wings and jets-engines.

The bus took off fast and did a loop, which any other time I would have enjoyed—free entertainment—but in this case, the sudden movement caused my drawing book to go flying backwards. Oh no. I followed it with my eyes as it arced overhead, the pages fluttering. Time seemed to slow as the book smacked right into the face of that stripe-sleeved kid behind me. The book slid down onto the floor as the bus levelled off, revealing a very pissed-off stripe guy. His eyes were wide with outrage, and there was a bright red mark from the middle of his forehead to the tip of nose where the book hit him. Again, I resisted the urge to laugh, which wasn't so hard this time because my heart was still up in my throat.

I found myself wondering if he would hit a girl, or use some super power to fry me to a crisp. So much for avoiding confrontation. Both the guys behind me were focusing evil glares at me, and the stripe guy said something. However, I couldn't hear anything over the screaming from everyone else on the bus. It's odd how I could notice the unimportant details in that situation, but I did. For one, I noticed that the stripe guy was actually pretty good-looking. Also, out of the corner of my eye I saw that the guy in black wasn't screaming like everyone else on the bus. He was actually watching this mishap unfold with some interest, though I could barely tell because his hair hid most of his face.

My attention was focused on the stripe guy, watching to make sure he didn't try to kill me. My drawing book slid to the front as the bus dipped forward. Next thing I knew, the bus was parked and people were getting off. I kept my eyes on stripe guy and his friend as they got up, but they appeared to have forgotten about me and were leaving. Then I watched to make sure that guy in black left too. After all, he could be their friend. Once everyone was off the bus, I jumped out of my seat and tried to find my drawing book on the ground. It was gone.

I ran off the bus to catch up with the group; someone had my drawing book, and I was going to get it back even if I had to face super powers. I really don't like people seeing my drawings. I was turning on my heel scanning the crowd when a short black kid wearing glasses and an orange shirt came up to me. With him was a tall white kid with bleach-blonde hair wearing painfully bright yellow and white, and the tall kid had my book.

"Hey, I'm Zach, and this is Ethan! Is this your book?" he asked.

I heaved a sigh of relief and answered, "Yeah, that is my book, and if you'd just give it back now I'd be very grateful."

Zach was happy to oblige, so I thanked them and was just walking off with my drawing book in hand when suddenly it was yanked out of my grasp. I turned around to find that stripe guy and his friend hadn't forgotten me after all, and were standing about two metres away. Stripe guy's arm was returning to normal, but it was still a metre long. In his hand was my drawing book. So his power is super-stretchiness. At least he can't burn me to a crisp like I'd feared. My name for him mentally changed from stripe guy to Stretch. They were both grinning evilly at me as they examined the book.

"Well, Speed, what do we have here? Some little freshman's notebook? I wonder what's inside," Stretch mused wickedly.

I realized that asking nicely wasn't going to work with these guys. I had to come up with a better plan to get my beloved drawing book back. I put my hands on my hips and assumed a look that said 'I'm becoming annoyed with you tiny mortals.'

"Listen up, you idiots," I ordered, menacingly calm, "You have three seconds to return my book to me or bad things are going to happen to you in four."

"Yeah right! What're _you_ gonna do?" Stretch laughed.

"Can either of you fly?" I asked coolly.

Their laughter died out and they looked at each other uneasily before hesitantly answering, "No…why?"

I rolled my eyes skyward and, in the tone of mock-enthusiasm you'd use to talk to a child, I replied, "Well! Then it might be in your best interests to give me my book back before I drop you off the edge of the school and see if you miraculously sprout wings in however many seconds it takes you hit the ground. How does that sound? One!"

Now they were worried. Stretch tried to laugh again, but it came out as a weak giggle.

"You can't do that. Speed here could run circles around you," he said, trying to sound confident.

I gave them a patronizing smile and said, still calm, "However fast your chubby little friend there can run, I assure you that time will be going so slow it will be like he's trying to swim in a vat of molasses, and like you said, he can't fly. Two!"

They still didn't move. I shrugged, took a step forward, and started to raise my hands, "Thr—"

Before I could finish, they panicked and threw the drawing book at my feet, taking off towards the school. I smiled to myself, calmly picking my book up and dusting it off before carefully putting it back in my bag. Inside, my heart was pounding so fast I thought it might break out of my rib cage. Man, I'm such a good actress.

The crowd that had surrounded me while all that was happening parted quickly to give me a clear path as I strode forward to get my first look at the school.


	3. Power Placement

Disclaimer: Yeah, I don't own any of the characters from the Sky High movie, but I do own Eve, Beck, Kyle, and their dad. And any other characters I think of later.

Chapter 3: Power Placement

The school was pretty awesome looking, but I didn't have any time to take in the sights before the bell rang. Everyone in the crowd headed for the big front doors, still giving me my own little space. I headed for the doors too, and those guys Zach and Ethan caught up to me.

"Wow, they were shaking in their boots! I haven't seen anything like that since Stronghold first came here," Ethan exclaimed, coming up on my right side.

"If only I had a video camera, man! Can you really slow time? That would be super cool! Hey can we walk you to the gym? It would be an honour, yo," Zach blurted from my other side.

I laughed, "Those guys will be so surprised when I do that power placement thing! I wonder if people will get the joke. I am _so_ dead."

They looked like they were going to ask me what the surprise is, but we had arrived at the gym doors already. I walked into the gym and spotted Beck and Kyle immediately. They were standing together a few metres away from a nervous-looking group of freshmen.

I walked over to them and said, "I just want you guys to know, I love you. If anything should happen to me today and I don't make it back, I want you to know how I want to split my possessions. Kyle, you can have my X-box, my cell phone, my video games, my DVDs, and my CDs. Beck, you can have my big mirror, my clothes, my books, and if it's not destroyed too, my Oakley hat, I know you love it. I'd like my room turned into a game room and…what?"

Beck was looking at me like I was crazy, and Kyle was stifling his laughter.

"You've really got to stop running your mouth off to people that can kill you," Kyle told me.

"I know. I can't help it," I said hopelessly.

The principal, Principal Powers, rushed in as a comet and gave us all a speech about power placement and how 'our heroic journeys would begin'. Shows what she knows, after power placement I'm going to die, I thought. She made her grand exit, then the coach, Coach Boomer, started his own little speech. Personally, I liked his better because he talked about whiner babies.

I only paid attention to the first bit of it, though, because I looked up at the stands and saw the last two people I wanted to see lounging halfway up the stands. Stretch-boy, who I still don't know the actual name of, and that kid, Speed. They wanted to see if I could really do what I said I could, I supposed. Surprisingly enough, that guy in the black was in the bleachers, too, sitting far away from them. I was starting to think of why he'd be there when I heard the coach yell at me. Well, I assumed that 'Hey, you there! Transfer kid in the hat!' was meant for me. It was.

"Step up here, tell me your name, and show me your power!" Coach Boomer, for lack of a better word, boomed.

I stepped up onto the circular platform he was on that had risen out of the floor at some point while I was watching the stands. I think I must have a death wish.

"My name is Evelyn Grey," I stated.

There were several gasps from the crowd, and Boomer himself swallowed before continuing.

"What…what's your power?"

I looked at him then turned to face the stands, looking directly at Stretch and Speed. I smirked.

"Well, Coach Boomer," I started, trying hard not to burst into laughter, "I don't have any powers. None at all."

Then I did burst into laughter at the look on those two faces. Oh, I'm pretty sure I do have a death wish. They looked like they were going to kill me, true, but they were also beet-red because everyone in the gym was laughing at them. Scared by a girl with no powers. They got up and left the gym. And, if I hadn't thought it highly unlikely, I would've swore that the guy in black was grinning. Surely, that can't be true. I must have been imagining things.

I turned back to Boomer and asked, "Do you get the joke?"

He replied curtly, "No. SIDEKICK!"

I shrugged and got off the platform as he called up Beck. I figured I'd watch Beck and Kyle get put in Hero class before I left. Beck stepped up to the platform and stood in front of Boomer.

"Tell me your name and show me your power! Hurry up now," commanded Boomer.

"My name is Rebecca Grey, Beck for short," she responded, head held high.

"DO YOU EVEN HAVE POWERS?" he sonic-boomed at her, blowing everyone's hair back and knocking some little kid over.

Beck rolled her eyes, then sonic-boomed back at him, "YES, I DO HAVE POWERS," she continued in her normal voice, "I can copy people's powers and use them for a few hours."

"Ahh, taking after your father, I see," Boomer said approvingly, "HERO! Next!"

Kyle got up on the platform as Beck got off.

Kyle saved Boomer the trouble of asking for his name by saying it first. When Boomer asked to see his power, Kyle looked down sadly for a moment, until Boomer asked if he, too, had no powers. So, Kyle phased through the floor, teleported back up, and then went invisible.

He became visible again as Boomer said, "Just what we need, another ghost. Hero."

Kyle stared at Boomer with what looked like the closest thing to anger I'd ever seen him show, then stalked off the platform to Beck and I. Beck reached over to pat his arm, but was interrupted when some scrawny kid with glasses named Larry came up to us and told us to report to the office. We headed out the gym doors, pausing in the hall.

"Um, do either of you know where her office is? 'Cause I don't, I haven't done anything wrong yet," I said, earning a strange look from both, "Oh wait, yeah I did. Okay, never mind then."

Beck went back into the gym and came back with that Larry kid, who led us to the principal's office. Beck knocked on the door and was answered by a fairly generic "Enter". So, we entered.


	4. In The Halls

Disclaimer: Yeah, I don't own any of the characters from the Sky High movie, but I do own Eve, Beck, Kyle, and their dad. And any other characters I think of later.

Chapter 4: In The Halls

"You wanted us to come to your office, Principal Powers?" Beck asked.

Powers cleared her throat and gestured to the three chairs in front of her desk saying, "Yes, I have to give you three your schedules since your starting here as sophomores and not freshmen. Now, I understand that your…controversial…family background may cause some problems, but I don't want you three getting into any fights. If you have any problems with any other students, I would like you to come talk to me about it. Alright?"

Beck and Kyle nodded and took their Hero schedules, while I was muttering sarcastically under my breath about how getting out there and picking a fight with some kid that could potentially crush me was not exactly on my list of things to do today, or ever, for that matter.

"I heard that, Miss Grey," Powers said, sounding amused, "You should all get along to lunch now, the bell will ring any minute now. Oh, except you, Evelyn. There's still one matter you and I need to discuss."

I froze halfway out of my seat, and then sank back into the cushioned chair as Beck and Kyle left the room.

"I do recall you picking a fight with someone who could 'potentially crush you' already today," she said.

I laughed nervously, "Oh yeah, that. Funny story, actually. You see—"

She cut me off, saying, "I can see that you have a stubborn nature and you don't want to be pushed around, but starting fights is not a good way to solve these things. Particularly now that everyone knows you have no powers; you can't lie your way out of it. Now, because of your little episode this morning, you'll be having detention after school. When you're finished your last class I want you to report back to my office, and I will take you to the detention room. Understood?"

"But they started it! It's a little unfair that I get stuck in detention and they get to walk free plotting their revenge," I spluttered indignantly.

"Don't worry, Lash and Speed are also going to be in detention after school. I don't want you sinking to their level again. Here's your schedule, locker number, lock, and combination. Head off to lunch now, Miss Grey," she dismissed me.

I took the proffered items and got out of that office as quickly as possible. I hate it when she interrupts me when I'm trying to speak; it's annoying. The bell for lunch rang, but before I went to lunch I wanted to find my locker and get rid of some of those textbooks that dad got me. Carrying them around all day was getting tiring. I wandered the halls for a couple of minutes looking for my locker. I found it at the end of a long row of lockers and promptly began stuffing textbooks inside, figuring that I'd sort them out later. I was getting hungry, and was looking forward to seeing what there was to eat in the cafeteria. I finished, shut my locker quickly before all the books fell out, then put the lock on and took off in the general direction I thought the cafeteria was. I knew that I was almost there because I heard the babble of voices coming from a set of doors at the end of the hall.

I got to the doors and opened one, entering the cafeteria with a victorious 'Yes!'

My victory was cut short, however, when I was grabbed by a familiar pair of arms wearing black-and-white striped sleeves and pulled back through the door and into the hallway. I was dragged backwards halfway down the hall before I could utter so much as a squeak. Not that I would give those two the pleasure of hearing me squeak. I was let go suddenly, and gasped as my momentum carried me backward and I fell.

Just before I hit the floor, Lash—I think that was what Powers called Stretch boy—caught me. I stared up at him for a second. Despite his smile, he reminded of a kid with a magnifying glass looking at an ant. I scrambled onto my feet hastily before he dropped me. Given the chance, he probably would have dropped me. I gave him a quick glare as I smoothed out my clothes, trying to remain outwardly calm.

Due to the fact that the hallway was completely empty except for Lash and I, I decided I should at least try to make an escape. I started backing away from Lash slowly while watching him suspiciously; he had an innocent look on his face, and I wasn't buying it at all. When I figured I was a good enough distance away, I turned and bolted. Right into Speed, unfortunately. Since he is fat and I am not, I just bounced off him and fell backwards for the second time that day—not counting that morning when my bed was flipped over. And for the second time that day, Lash caught me just before I hit the floor. I think I would've rather just landed on the floor; linoleum never made me feel so uncomfortable.

To my surprise, Lash set me on my feet instead of dumping me on the ground. Standing upright wasn't too big a comfort, though. After all, I was still surrounded; and chances were, they hadn't suddenly changed their minds about not letting me get away. Lash moved to Speed's side and turned to face me. Great, now they were both blocking my way to salvation, also known as the cafeteria.

I managed a weak giggle, pasted on an innocent smile, and in the most amiable tone that I could muster, I simpered, "Come on, guys, can't you take a teeny-tiny, itty-bitty little joke? Just a harmless little jest? Wasn't it funny? You've got to admit it was at least a little funny. What do you say to putting the past behind us, hmm?"

Speed started to laugh, but Lash stopped him with a gesture of his arm; looking at me with his brows furrowed thoughtfully. After a few painfully long moments, he reached his decision and came over to me, putting an arm around my shoulder like I was his buddy.

"Well," he said, stretching the word out, "Alright. Tell you what, me and Speed here'll grant you some amnesty, since you apologized so nicely. Besides, you're such a cutie, and you wouldn't look as hot with your head in a toilet. I'd invite you into the group, but we don't accept sidekicks, especially powerless sidekicks," he paused, widening his eyes as though something had just occurred to him, then grinned before continuing on slyly, "Now, to show how grateful you are—"

I was vaguely shocked that Lash knew the meaning of a word like amnesty, or at least its context, but his change in tone made me snap out of my reverie. I had a bad feeling that I knew where he was going with this, and I didn't like the prospect much.

"Thanks so much," I interrupted in the best cheery, sugary-sweet voice I could manage while wriggling free of his grip inconspicuously, "Now, I've got to go eat lunch. I'm famished!"

Before I could get two steps towards the cafeteria, Lash grabbed my shoulder and turned me back around.

"I wasn't finished," he admonished, giving me a mock-reproachful look.

His sly grin returned and he started where he left off, "As I was saying; to show how grateful you are for our forgiveness," he paused dramatically, taking off my hat and pulling me closer until our faces were only a few inches apart, "I want a kiss."

I shrank back as far as I could, my suspicions having been confirmed, but that was only about an inch. In the back of my mind I couldn't help but think, 'At least he didn't ask me to kiss Speed too,' but that hardly registered. I franticly tried to find an escape as he leaned in. However, there was no escape, so I scrunched my eyes shut and waited for the inevitable.


	5. Lunchtime Encounters

Disclaimer: Yeah, I don't own any of the characters from the Sky High movie, but I do own Eve, Beck, Kyle, and their dad. And any other characters I think of later. Oh, and I own The Ghost, which will come in later.

Chapter 5: Lunchtime Encounters

Nothing happened. Well, not what I expected, anyway. One moment I was pushing back against Lash's restricting arm with my eyes squeezed shut so I wouldn't have to see it coming, the next, there was no arm to push against and I was falling backwards, again. I didn't get caught at the last second this time, though. I fell onto a bench, still huddling protectively. After a few seconds I peeked one eye open a slit to see what was going on, and saw Kyle standing in front of me, smirking. I opened my eyes and straightened up, trying to make it look like I hadn't been cringing a moment ago.

"What just happened? Where am I?" I asked Kyle confusedly.

Kyle chuckled, "Well, I saw you get dragged out of the cafeteria, so I thought I'd help you out by teleporting you away. Just in the nick of time, too, it seems."

"And it took you that long to get off your ass and help me?" I demanded furiously, angry that he waited so long to do anything.

He held his hands up in defence and explained, "I had to see where you were first. It wouldn't have done any good if I teleported and was off-target, now would it?"

I gave a resigned sigh and started to agree when I remembered my hat. I pleaded Kyle to go get it, and he disappeared. He reappeared a few seconds later with empty hands.

He shook his head apologetically, saying, "Sorry, they were already gone when I got there. Nothing more I can do for you. I gotta get back to lunch, see you later."

I scowled as Kyle teleported to a table surrounded by giggling girls. Any other time, I would've found his fan club hilarious, but my favourite hat was in the hands of two super-powered jerks, and I didn't see any way of getting it back without giving the jerk his kiss. All this happened because I couldn't keep a grip on my notebook…and maybe a little because I publicly humiliated them. Which reminded me that I had detention that afternoon, and that in detention I'd have to sit in a room with Lash and Speed.

I groaned inwardly and grabbed a pudding cup and spoon from a tray, stalking away to find a table. I'd had enough of social interaction, and I felt like punching the next person that tried to speak to me before they could make the day worse. That's why I chose the emptiest possible table and sat down as far as possible from the table sole occupant, barely looking to see whose table I had sat at.

I putting the pudding cup to the side and immediately dropped my head onto the tabletop with a dull thunk, pulling up the hood of my sweater and covering my face with my arms.

"What are you doing? Nobody sits here but me," a rough voice questioned rudely from across the table.

I rewound my thoughts, trying to remember who was sitting at the table, and remembered yet another familiar face. This was the guy in black's table. However, I was so depressed at how the day was going, I didn't care.

I lifted my head up long enough to growl, "Oh, don't _you_ start," glaring so hard that the bad boy seemed taken aback.

Before he could even react, the table was swarmed by a group of chattering kids who sat down all around us. I muttered darkly to myself, and then lifted my head to see just who dared to sit at this particular table. Ethan and Zach were sitting to my left, and beside Zach was some girl with purple hair wearing purple. Across the table, some guy with light brown hair wearing red, blue, and white was bold enough to sit next to the surly guy in black. Next to that brave soul was a cheerful looking redhead girl wearing a green shirt and a flower skirt over-lapping light blue jeans.

"Hey Warren, making friends already, I see," the courageous guy said to the guy in black chummily.

Those two didn't look like the kind of people that would be friends, but I suppose looks can be deceiving, because the guy in black, Warren, didn't kill the guy.

"Nobody sits here but you, huh?" I asked sardonically, a smirk quirking the corners of my mouth.

Then, I noticed tendrils of smoke curling up from the backs of his hands, where a few flames flickered. Super, now I _had_ crossed someone who _could_ burn me to a crisp. The redhead noticed too, and reached across the brown-haired kid to swat Warren on the shoulder. He shot her an indignant glare.

"Now really, Warren, is that any way to welcome a new student? I thought you were getting better at socializing," she scolded, and I wondered how he was before if he was getting better now.

She turned to me with a bright smile and stuck out her hand, introducing herself cheerfully, "Hello, my name is Layla. Please excuse Warren; he's not very friendly. Anyway, this is Will," pointing to the brunette, "Magenta," that was purple-girl, "Zach, and Ethan. Welcome to Sky High! It's so nice to meet you.What's your name?"

I shook her outstretched hand hesitantly, answering, "It's, um, nice to meet you, too. My name's Eve."

I opened my pudding cup and stabbed at the contents moodily with my spoon. Layla noticed that too, and asked me what was wrong.

"It's a long story," I sighed.

The flower child wouldn't give up, so I explained my situation. She frowned down at her salad, digesting what I had told her. Will assured me it would all turn out all right.

"Oh really," I inquired sarcastically, "So, just curious, but what part of my story made you think it was going to get better? Hmmm? I must've missed it."

Layla looked up from her salad, declaring purposefully, "Things are going to get better because we're your friends now. And we are going to help you out."

"And how, pray tell, are you going to do that?" I asked sceptically.

She looked back at her salad, murmuring, "I'm still working on that."

I was about to come up with another retort, but the bell rang, and we all had to get to class. I threw my uneaten pudding cup in the garbage and ran to my locker to get my books before hustling off to 'Hero Support' class. I was determined not to get stuck in those hallways alone again.


	6. A Very Low Joke

Disclaimer: Yeah, I don't own any of the characters from the Sky High movie, but I do own Eve, Beck, Kyle, and their dad. And any other characters I think of later. And I own The Ghost.

Author's Note: If it takes a while for me to post new chapters later on, it's because I've got to go back to school in a couple of days.

I got to class early, which is a first for me. I took a seat at the back and waited for everyone else to show up. The teacher came in first, and was followed shortly by the rest of the class. It turned out that Layla, Ethan, Zach, and Magenta were all sidekicks. Layla waved at me and motioned for me to sit beside her and Magenta. I went and sat in the seat she pointed to, because I knew that if I didn't she'd just keep on asking anyway.

The teacher introduced himself to me, since I was the only new student and therefore the only one who didn't already know him. He was 'All American Boy', now Mr. Boy, and he used to be The Commander's sidekick.

He told me to stand in front of the class and tell them my name and a little bit about myself. I didn't want to, but he insisted.

I stood up and said disparagingly, "My name is Eve, and I don't like to stand up in front of a bunch of people and tell them a 'little bit about myself.' Satisfied?"

After that, he sort of left me alone. What a sad, little man.

To start off the school year, he gave us an essay assignment. He gave each student a slip of paper with the name of a well-known super-villain written on it, and they had to research that villain and write a paper on him or her. I looked at the slip of paper he handed me and my stomach did a flop. I stared at the name on the piece of paper for a long time, not even hearing Layla's query as to what name I'd gotten. The Ghost. This must've been a sick joke.

I got up and strode to Mr. Boy's desk, quivering with anger. He looked up from an attendance sheet innocently as I approached.

I managed to keep my voice steady as I told him, "I…can't do this. Not this one. Is there any other name?"

"Why, no, Miss Grey. There isn't any other name I could give you. Why can't you do this villain?" he asked, as if he didn't know.

My fists clenched involuntarily, crushing the piece of paper in my hand, as I replied quietly through gritted teeth, "I think you _know_ why I can't do this villain, Mr. Boy."

"I thought this would be the perfect one for you. After all, you know so much about this particular villain. You could give the most in-depth report, since you have such a personal connection," he claimed in mock-surprise.

That was low, real low. And I thought I had him pegged as such a pushover. I did the only thing I could think of; I turned around and walked out the door. If I didn't leave, I would've attacked him.

I suppose some explanation is in order now; I can't side step the subject after this little episode. Here it goes. My mom is one of the biggest super-villains in history. She is The Ghost. She could teleport, phase through solid matter, and go invisible like Kyle. However, she could also manipulate people's minds with her voice and steal energy with a touch, which made her very dangerous. She was caught after her long crime spree when Jetstream managed to fasten some power-neutralizing bracelet on her. She's in solitary now, and we moved to Canada because our tainted family name wasn't so well known there. She ruined my life, and I hate her for it. Does everything make sense now?

I walked down the hall and turned a corner, just in case someone poked his or her head out the door looking for me. Then I leaned against a locker and slid down until I was sitting. After all my friends had abandoned me and I had to move to Canada to avoid the stares, I'd sworn that I'd never cry because of that witch again. Right then, though, I was coming dangerously close to breaking that oath.

I wanted my drawing book—sketching always made me feel better—but I'd left it in that room, and there was no power on earth that would make me go back in there. I pulled my knees up to my chest and buried my face in my arms. I couldn't get my hands to unclench, and my blue lacquered nails were starting to draw blood.

I heard someone in front of me clear his throat and looked up. There, standing in front of me, was one of the last people I would've expected: Warren.

"Why aren't you in class?" he asked.

I got up, still unable to relax my hands, and demanded, "Is there a rule that says I _have_ to go to class?"

"Yes…" he replied quizzically.

"Well, it was either walk out of class or attack the teacher, and I think that would be a worse offence," I said angrily.

"What, did Mr. Boy annoy you?" Warren taunted jokingly, leaning against the lockers beside me.

Half to myself, I muttered, "Are all the teachers at this school so low? I can't believe he could do that, to anyone. How could _anyone_ do that?"

"Do what?" he inquired curiously, then saw my hands, "Whoa, you're bleeding on the floor."

I looked down at the droplets of blood falling from my hands, and finally managed to unclench my fists, dropping the bloody piece of paper on the tiles. I stared at my hands as blood started to pool in my upturned palms.

"What did he do?" Warren asked again, seriously this time.

I didn't answer, so he picked up the blood-soaked paper and read the smudged name.

"So let me guess, your mother is The Ghost? And Mr. Boy gave you this assignment on purpose? That _is_ low," he breathed.

"Don't talk about her," I growled.

He looked at me for a moment, an unreadable expression on his face, before saying, "I can relate. Have you ever heard of Baron Battle?"

"He's your father? Damn, you really _can_ relate," I said softly, sitting back down.

He sat down too, and we both nodded thoughtfully to ourselves, having mutually found someone who truly understood. We sat there in silence until the bell rang.

I stood up and sighed, "Well, now I've got to head to Powers' office for detention with the super-jerks. See ya around, Warren."

He looked at my hands, smirked, and said, "You might want to clean up first."


	7. Detention

Disclaimer: Yeah, I don't own any of the characters from the Sky High movie, but I do own Eve, Beck, Kyle, and their dad. And any other characters I think of later. And I own The Ghost.

Chapter 7: Detention

Now that I'd calmed down, the rage-induced numbness was gone; so nothing was keeping me from feeling pain anymore. My hands hurt like hell! I ran to the washroom, cleaned them up, and wrapped them up in toilet paper. I was walking out of the washroom when Layla found me.

"Hey, what happened in class today? Warren told me you'd be in the washroom. How would he know where you…oh my God, what happened to your hands?" she asked in concern.

I sidestepped the subject, saying, "It's not important. Why were you looking for me?"

"Oh, well, I got your books for you," she replied, handing over my messenger bag, "And, I've thought of an idea to help you out. You should hurry up or you'll be late for detention, and Powers really wouldn't like that. Don't worry, it'll be okay."

I gave her a questioning look, but she wasn't going to tell me her plan, and I really did have to get to the office. I said a quick goodbye and ran off to the office, because I did _not_ want to see what Powers did to people who were late for detention. When I got there, she took me to some high-tech door, and through that into a painfully white, round room. Even the desks were white. At least the walls weren't padded, but still, I felt like I'd been put in the mental asylum.

"This is the detention room. Sit down. This room neutralizes any and all super-powers, so people can't be fighting in here," she stated.

"Yeah, like I need a room that neutralizes super-powers," I muttered sarcastically.

"Stop muttering, Miss Grey. It's unbecoming," she said as she left.

I stared in disbelief at he door she'd exited. _Unbecoming_? I was still staring a few moments later when the door opened again and Powers ushered in Lash and Speed. She pointed to the seats and we all sat.

"Well, I'll be leaving you here now, since Lash and Speed already know the detention room drill," she declared.

Despite what she said about muttering, I muttered, "That's a big surprise."

She left, and for a while, everything was all right. I think that Lash and Speed were afraid that Powers would come in and check on us, so I had some time to reflect on the day. It occurs to me that I wasn't completely honest when telling the beginning of my story, and I'm sorry. I lied, which is my defence mechanism when talking about anything to do with my mom, and I've done that so often, I don't even realize I'm lying anymore. Anyway, I said I was born and raised in Canada; I wasn't. I was originally born in the US, and I moved to Canada when I was six years old. I've already said why I moved. I just thought I'd clear that up, in case the contradiction confused anyone.

I was still thinking about that when Lash and Speed realized that Powers wasn't going to pop in unexpectedly, and decided to get to business.

Lash got up and swaggered over to my desk, staring at me until I finally looked up.

"Is there something I can help you with, Lash?" I asked innocently.

He smirked and said nonchalantly, "So, where'd you go this afternoon? One moment we were having a conversation, and the next, you just vanished. Getting your brother to take care of you? What's the matter; can't take care of yourself?"

Speed came up beside Lash and handed him my hat. I stood up to face them as Lash put my hat on his head.

I curled my lip in distaste in said, "Damn, now I'm going to have to wash that. Who _knows_ what kind of germs a guy like you is carrying around."

That wiped the smirk off his face, and he replied angrily, "Why are you doing this? Going all hot and cold on me; threatening me, then tempting me, now this," he then composed himself, his smirk returning, "Well, at least I have a little memento of you. I think I'll keep this hat, it looks pretty good on m—hey!"

I snatched the hat off his head, cutting his smug monologue short.

I inspected my hat, saying, "Wow, that was anti-climatic," he was still gaping at me, so I continued, gathering intensity, "Now, what the heck are you talking about? 'A little memento of me?' What are you, a freaking stalker? I wasn't going 'hot and cold' on you; I was cold the whole time! You're just too stupid to see it! You guys are about as sharp as a bowl of wieners! God!"

I was a little surprised at my tirade, though I thankfully managed to stop myself before saying something about laying knuckles upside their skulls. Ha, like _I_ could beat _them_ up.

Still, they were shocked.

Lash was the first to recover, the dumbfounded look on his face being replaced with an angry glower.

"Well, Miss High and Mighty! In case you hadn't noticed, there's only _one_ of you here, and _two_ of us So maybe you should be watching your mouth," he threatened, advancing menacingly.

I recognized what a bad situation I was in, and hastily moved to put the desk between us.

He was just about to go after me when the door opened abruptly, surprising me near to death. Principal Powers strode into the room angrily, followed by Warren.

"Sit down, you three," she snapped at us, then rounded on Warren, "I thought you were above this by now, Mr. Peace! Why on earth would you pull such a childish stunt? Lighting Mr. Boy's chair on fire! With him in it? Why would you do that? You're lucky he only received a minor burn! Sit!"

She glared at him, expecting an answer, but he just stared at her sullenly. She stormed out, shutting the door and leaving us all in a stunned silence.

"_That_ was the plan?" I asked incredulously.

He shrugged, and replied casually, "Worked, didn't it?"

"True," I admitted, and then broke into a grin, "You lit Mr. Boy on fire! That's hilarious!"

I could've _kissed_ him for saving my life, but I figured he probably wouldn't appreciate that, so I just gestured to the chair beside me gratefully. With Warren there, Lash and Speed didn't dare try anything, and detention passed rather swiftly. Warren read a book, I drew, Lash sulked, and Speed just seemed at a loss the whole time.

When Powers came and let us out, except Warren—apparently setting a teacher on fire requires a longer stay in detention than a verbal fight—I found Kyle waiting for me in the hallway.

"What're you doing here, Kyle? If someone's stuck in detention, they can still take a late bus home. You didn't need to pick me up," I said suspiciously.

He rolled his eyes and exclaimed, "I can't believe you forgot! We have to go to that new club for that job interview, remember? If I don't teleport us, we're gonna be late! So let's go!"

"Oh yeah," I said sheepishly, recognition dawning on my face.

Kyle sighed impatiently and grabbed my wrist, teleporting us away.


	8. After School

Disclaimer: Yeah, I don't own any of the characters from the Sky High movie, but I do own Eve, Beck, Kyle, and their dad. And any other characters I think of later. And I own The Ghost, Jake, and Grace.

Author's Note: Sorry if this chapter sucks. I got writer's block.

Chapter 8: After School

In the blink of an eye, literally, we were in front of a big brick building. This building was the site of some new club specifically for kids from Sky High, which was opening in a few days. They still needed to put together a band for live entertainment, which is why Kyle and I were there. We walked in the doors and looked around. They were putting the finishing touches on everything, but it was pretty much done.

We walked to the back and knocked on the office door. A voice inside the office called for us to come on in and sit down, which we did. The owner—at least, I think it was the owner—was lounging behind his desk with his shirtsleeves rolled up. He looked like he was in his mid-twenties, with blond hair and bluish grey eyes.

He smiled, introducing himself, "Hey, nice to meet you guys. I'm Jake Sanders, the owner. I take it you two are Kyle and Evelyn Grey, here for the band interview?"

"Yep, that would be us," I replied.

Jake flashed a big smile, "Well, then let's get down to business, shall we? Not many people applied for the job, so you don't have much competition. What instruments do you guys play? Are either of you a singer?"

"Yea, I'm a singer, and I can play lead guitar or bass. Kyle can play the drums," I answered.

"That's great," Jake said enthusiastically, "Singers have been really hard to find, surprisingly enough. Good ones, actually. Can you sing well? And Kyle, you have the job, if you can keep a beat. Only one other person applied for the drums, and they cracked under the pressure of the interview, so they couldn't take playing on stage."

"Oh, I can keep a beat, trust me. Eve here is the best singer you'll find in the whole city, too. It's you're lucky day," Kyle assured him, finally joining the conversation.

"I'll take your word for it, then," he said, handing both of us a bunch of papers, "This is the song list for Friday's opening night, as well as the sheet music for all the songs. If you have any problems with it, you should tell me right away. If not, you'd better get practicing, 'cause your debut is only a few days away. I want you to come in every day from about six 'til eight to practice with the rest of the group, starting tomorrow. I'm sure you'll all get along great. When you come by tomorrow, we'll sort out your pay with Grace, the one who handles that stuff. How does that sound?"

"That sounds great," I said distractedly, looking over the song list, "Hey, you've got a Linkin Park song in here! Yes, that's my specialty!"

"Anyway, yeah, these songs won't be a problem. We already know most of them," Kyle told Jake.

We finished up our conversation, said goodbye, and teleported back home. I was glad to finally be back at the house; all the day's events had left me drained, and I hadn't eaten since breakfast. I changed into light blue plaid pyjama pants and a pale blue tank top, and sat on the living room couch, bandaging my hands up properly with gauze.

Kyle came in from the dining with a piece of paper in his hand, reading out loud, _"Kids, I had to go to California on business, and I won't be back in time for dinner. I left you some money to get take-out, or you can heat up the homemade chicken soup I put in the fridge. Tomorrow I expect you to tell me all about how your first day went. Love, Dad."_

"Soup, for sure. He doesn't make it homemade every day, though he should. We'll get take-out tomorrow or something, we can have that whenever," I declared.

"Besides," Kyle said tiredly, "Beck is taking up the phone line. Probably since she got home; and she shows no sign of slowing."

So, Kyle and I heated up some homemade chicken soup—I swear, my dad makes the best soup in the world—and sat down on the couch to eat. We had waved a tempting bowl in front of Beck's face, but she pushed it away, being far to preoccupied with talking. My brother and I did rock, paper, scissors to see what we'd do, play Halo or watch a movie, and I won. So, we watched Blade Trinity and ate soup. Halo's okay, but I prefer RPGs; and I suck at Halo anyway.

After the movie was over, I went up to my room, still chuckling over my favourite line. What can I say; the phrase 'Vampire Pomeranian' just kills me. Maybe I'm just easily amused.

I turned on my computer and signed into msn, then changed my display name from, 'I could give up chocolate, but I'm no quitter,' to 'You made a Vampire…Pomeranian?' Yeah, I _am_ easily amused.

Nobody on my short list of contacts was online, so I logged off and got into bed. It was a little early, but I have troubles falling asleep anyway. It takes me about two or three hours to fall asleep after I get to bed, because I just can't shut my mind down. I lay in the dark contemplating whether or not it had been a good day. After all, I'd ran into Lash and Speed; several times, had my hat stolen, missed lunch, nearly attacked my teacher, damaged my hands, and went to detention. Plus, I was forced to acknowledge my mother's existence, and was having _very_ unwanted attention thrust upon me by Lash. All together, that would make it a terrible day.

However, I had met Layla and all her friends, as well as Warren, my unexpected confidant. I'd gotten my hat back, Warren had saved my life in detention, and he lit Mr. Boy on fire. As well, I'd gotten a job doing what I love doing; singing, I'd gotten to eat my dad's homemade chicken soup, and I'd beaten Kyle at rock, paper, scissors. That would make it an awesome day.

I suppose I'd have to call it a tie, and I was just glad to make it through the day and still be alive. I wondered what the next day would be like, hoping it would be a bit less eventful than my first day. I must've been exhausted, because it only took me about an hour to fall asleep, drifting off as I speculated what the next day would bring.


	9. Day Two

Disclaimer: Yeah, I don't own any of the characters from the Sky High movie, but I do own Eve, Beck, Kyle, and their dad. And any other characters I think of later. And I own The Ghost, Jake, and Grace.

Author's Note: Alright, school has started, so I won't be updating as fast. I'll try my best, though.

Chapter 9: Day Two

The next day, I was awake before my dad came to wake me up, since I'd actually had a good night's sleep for once. I shooed him out of my room so that I could get dressed, scowling at his look of utmost shock at my being up before he got there. I chose a pair of baggy khaki cargo pants and a red tank top. I looked out the window at the dreary weather, and pulled on a black shirt with sleeves that ended at my elbows over-top the tank top. I put on some black shoes while picking out what jewellery to wear. I decided on two magnetic bracelets; one with bright blue beads and one with lime green beads, and for the other wrist I picked a silver bracelet from Greece and a metal bangle with blue-green stones alternating with bears. It looked really cool; I'd got it in Jasper when I went for hockey camp. I grabbed my necklace and trudged downstairs.

Dad had been up for a while, apparently, and he'd made waffles, pancakes, and bacon for breakfast. I grabbed some pancakes and bacon, pouring syrup on the pancakes as my dad poured orange juice for everyone.

"So, how was your day yesterday, Eve?" he asked covertly.

I looked up from my plate, replying cautiously, "Uneventful…why?"

"Principal Powers called. She said you got into a fight with some other students, skipped class, and were muttering disrespectful remarks when you thought she couldn't hear you. Why are you behaving so poorly?" he questioned.

I choked on a mouthful of bacon; and after I'd swallowed my food, I argued my case tactfully, "Muttered _disrespectful remarks_? That's preposterous. And I didn't 'pick a fight', per say; I merely took an unconventional approach in getting my property returned to me. I suppose that being _eccentric_ is against the rules in Sky High, which is why I was sent to detention. I think that Principal Powers is blowing this situation way out of proportion."

He started to say something, but I looked at my watch in fabricated shock, exclaiming, "Well, look at the time! I better be going or I'll be late! We wouldn't want that, now would we?"

Before either of my siblings could blow my cover, I snatched up my hat, messenger bag, sweater, and a muffin, dashing out the door. I'd had to leave half my breakfast behind, but I wasn't grounded. Since I was a little early, I had to wait about fifteen minutes for the bus. When it arrived, I sat near the front to avoid Lash. I sat beside Magenta, extracting a book—The Shadow Rising, book four of the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan—out of my bag. I opened it to where I'd left off and read all the way to school.

I got through the first half of the day without incident, and got into the cafeteria without being pulled out again by some crazy stalker. I found an empty table and dropped my stuff on it. Kyle appeared at my side, wanting to know if I wanted anything at A&W. I placed my order, and sat down as he vanished, glad for my bit of peace and quiet.

I sensed someone's eyes on my back, and snatched my hat off my head just before that someone tried to grab it. I didn't even bother looking, I knew who it was. Lash and Speed sat down on either side of me, much to my annoyance.

"Go away, you two. I'm really not in the mood for this," I said giving them both an exasperated look.

"Oh," Lash said, his grin widening suggestively, "What _are_ you in the mood for?"

I winced with revulsion, and was about to shoot back a biting comment when Warren hauled Lash roughly out of his seat. Speed wasn't fast enough to avoid getting yanked out of his seat too.

"I don't think she appreciates your company, so you'd better get out of sight quick before I roast you alive," Warren growled at them.

He didn't have to tell them twice; they were long gone before Warren had even taken his seat across from me. I gave him a grateful smile as Layla, Ethan, and the others came and sat down. They were talking about some game they'd be playing this afternoon.

"Yeah, sidekicks get to play too, now that we're sophomores. I hope they don't pick me, melting into a puddle isn't much help in saving a citizen," Ethan said in distress.

"Neither is changing into a guinea pig. Why on earth would they let sidekicks play? Does Boomer want all the sidekicks to get creamed?" a peeved Maj replied.

Zach announced, "Well, I can't wait! I'll get a chance to show everyone that glowing is an awesome pow—A&W!"

I took my food from Kyle and gave him ten bucks, opening the bag as he left and taking out my hamburger. Zach stared at the bag, transfixed, until I gave him half my fries. He dug in happily as I asked them all what they'd been talking about.

"Save The Citizen," Layla explained, "It's a game in gym. In freshman year, only heroes can play, but in sophomore year they have sidekicks play too, which is a bad idea, in my opinion. Lash and Speed will probably start out, since Will is sick today. I think they should've left those two in jail."

"What do you mean jail?" I inquired.

Layla looked at me in surprise, then told me, "Lash and Speed were put in jail because they were part of that group that tried to turn everyone into babies last year at homecoming. They were let out to take their senior year over again like Penny, that cheerleader girl over there. Gwen, also known as Royal Pain, had to stay in solitary because she was too big a threat, and because she was the leader."

I nodded my head slowly in understanding, finishing off my burger. I gave Zach the rest of my fries and went to put my books in my locker as the bell rang.

In Hero Support class, we had to practice speed changing. I'm a logical person; and logically, changing into gym clothes in two seconds flat is not possible, unless you have super-speed. That's what we had to do: run behind a screen and speed change, adding a pose at the end. Mr. Boy barely even looked at the poses. Layla did some cutesy pose, Maj just shrugged, Ethan adjusted his hat, and Zach came out with his gym clothes actually on, which I heard is a rarity. I managed to change in two seconds flat as ordered…don't even ask how I did it, because I really don't know. Since Mr. Boy wasn't really paying attention, I flipped him off for my pose. He noticed however, and wasn't very pleased. Oh well, I thought it was a good pose.

Once we sidekicks were all changed for gym, the heroes started coming out of the change rooms. Everyone took a seat in the stands. I was still examining my light blue tank top and white shorts, wondering where they had come from. Speed changing is _so_ weird.

Lash and Speed started out as 'villains, and Boomer pointed to two other kids from his high referee chair to play the 'heroes.'

This is my description of Save The Citizen. Two kids played the villains and tried to keep two other kids, playing heroes, from saving some life-sized doll hanging on a rope above a nasty-looking mulcher. The heroes had to save the 'citizen' before time ran out and it got shredded. It looked like a very violent game. I figured that since I was a sidekick, and one with no powers at that, I'd be left alone and would never have to play that crazy game. So, I began planning how to get out of the school before Powers caught me and put me in detention for giving Mr. Boy the middle finger.

I was jolted back to reality when one of the heroes slammed into the glass right in front of me as the buzzer sounded. The heroes had lost, and Boomer told Lash and Speed to pick two more victims.


	10. Unfortunate Inheritance

Disclaimer: Yeah, I don't own any of the characters from the Sky High movie, but I do own Eve, Beck, Kyle, and their dad. And any other characters I think of later. And I own The Ghost, Jake, and Grace.

Author's Note: Sorry if this chapter is terribly boring, or just plain terrible. School has drained me, but I'm trying.

Chapter 10: Unforunate Inheritance

Lash and Speed looked over everyone in the stands theatrically, like two wolves picking their next meal. Lash focused on me with an evil little smirk. Damn, I should've seen that coming; anyone who's been listening to my story would've.

"We pick Eve Grey," Lash called to Boomer, "And her brother."

I got up slowly, dreading going into that ring. I looked back briefly at Layla and the group. They were all giving me encouraging smiles, which were obviously faked; they knew what trouble I was in. I dragged my feet over to where Kyle was suiting up in body armour.

"Hurry up, Grey! We don't want to wait all day," Boomer yelled at me.

So, I put on the equipment, which I knew would be next to useless, and stepped onto the gym floor next to my brother. The buzzer sounded and the 'villains' immediately took the fight to us. Kyle phased through Speed as the bully tried to body check him with super-speed. I, however, have no powers; so when Speed body checked me I went flying into the boards.

All the breath in my body left in a rush as I slammed into the boards, and I crumpled into a heap. I struggled to stand with pain coursing all through my body. I vaguely heard Boomer saying that I looked so much like my mother that it was surprising I didn't have her powers. Saying that I couldn't take a hit. I felt anger well up inside me like it had back in Hero Support class the day before. I couldn't feel anything, even when Lash's arm reached out and wrapped me in a vice grip, threatening to crush me.

He pulled me close enough to whisper in my ear, "Yea, you look _so_ much like your mother. Except, I'll bet she isn't so _weak_. Your bold words can't help you now, cutie. Neither can your brother."

I turned my head slightly, seeing Kyle gasping for air as Speed created a vortex around him. He was on his knees with his hands on his throat, choking. I'd taken all I could; and something inside me snapped.

Everything happened so fast. The room got cold all of a sudden, very cold. I barely noticed; all I could think of was strangling the life out of Lash and wiping that smug grin off his face. My arms phased through his confining hold, going for his throat before I'd even knew what I was doing. The moment my arms passed through his, my head spun and my vision blurred. I grabbed his neck, a strange sensation rushing up my arms as his eyes rolled back in his head. His grip loosened and he passed out, dropping me on the ground.

My head cleared, and I realized what I'd done. I scrambled backwards frantically, trying to get as far away from Lash's limp form as I could. I looked around wildly at all the people staring at me in shock and horror. Even Speed had stopped to gawk at me sitting on the floor. I desperately wanted them all to not look at me.

A filmy, transparent cobweb settled on my body; sinking into my skin. I heard everyone gasp in surprise, and I knew what that feeling had been. They had been surprised because they couldn't _see_ me anymore…I was _invisible_. I was startled back into visibility at the thought, and everyone gasped again.

Suddenly, the floor wasn't solid anymore and I sank right through it, falling out the bottom of the floating school. I was plummeting towards the ground, and I freaked out, wishing I were back in the gym, even if I had to face all the looks. The wind pulled at my clothes as the ground loomed closer, and I squeezed my eyes shut in dreading apprehension. I was jolted backwards, and the wind disappeared. I snapped my eyes open as I fell two feet onto the wood floor.

I was back in the gym, and I was slowly sinking through the floor again. Kyle teleported to my side and pulled me up quickly.

"Concentrate on solid," he hissed urgently.

I concentrated, not wanting to fall through the floor again. I heard Kyle murmur something that sounded like, 'I'm so sorry.' I turned to look at him and saw a fist flying at my head.

I woke up hours later, my head swimming. All I could see was white. I shook my head, trying to get my bearings. The reason everything was white was that I was lying on a makeshift platform of desks in the detention room. I slipped off the desks, trying to recall the day's events, anything that would explain why I was waking up in the detention room.

I was still puzzling it out when the door opened, admitting Kyle, Powers, Boomer, and my dad. I looked at them in confusion, wondering why my dad was there, and it hit me. I sank to the floor numbly, feeling sick to my stomach. Kyle stood me back up gently as my dad hovered nearby anxiously.

"No, no, no, no, no…" I moaned, shaking my head in despair.

"You have to accept it, Eve," Kyle said softly, so only I could hear, "If you don't, things won't get better. I know, I found out the hard way a long time ago. Once you accept, you'll get some control. You can't help what you've inherited, and denying it won't make it go away."

"Why'd it get cold?" I asked distantly, focusing on the little things to avoid the big issue.

Powers cleared her throat, answering cautiously, "You absorbed all the ambient energy in the room, Eve. Kyle had to knock you out after that little episode, because you can't use your powers if you're unconscious. Then we put you in here, so that your powers would be neutralized when you woke up, and you wouldn't fall out of the school again."

I nodded faintly, looking lost. So much for avoiding the big issue. Loud banging on the door snapped me out of my trance, to a degree. Powers sighed in vexation and opened the door. Layla, Ethan, Zach, and Magenta rushed in, followed by Warren. They all looked concerned, though Warren did a fair job of hiding it.

Layla ran up and hugged me, fervently asking if I was okay. Magenta, Ethan, and Zach crowded around me too, while Warren hung back by the door as if unsure that he should be there.

"Of course I'm not okay. How could I be?" I replied faintly, then, after a moment's thought, asked, "Is Lash dead?"

Zach snickered, answering my question, "No, he's not dead, but he _is_ still out of it. You really knocked him out cold, yo."

I gave a tiny smile, thinking that maybe I could get over this and move on. Kyle was right; there was nothing I could do about these new powers. I'd just have to deal with it. My friends—yes, I call them friends after this—were making me feel so much better.

Magenta gave me a small hug and exclaimed in mock-surprise, "She smiles! I think maybe she'll live!"

"I think I want to go home now," I said wearily.

"That's too bad for you," Kyle replied blithely, "We still have to go for practice. It should make you feel better, it usually does."

"What does?" Ethan asked curiously.

I shrugged, "It's…not important. I'll tell you guys later. Maybe. If you ask really nice. 'Till then, see you all later. I'd hate to be late, you know. Erm, what time is it, anyway?"

Warren finally spoke up, "Are you sure you're alright?"

I hesitated, then nodded my head firmly, "I'll be okay. Nothing I can't get over eventually. I'll have some ice cream later, and I'll be fine. Really. Now, what time is it?"

"Time to go," responded Kyle, "So let's go."

He led me out the door of the detention room into the hall. I glanced back and saw them all watching me uncertainly, even Warren. Then Kyle teleported me away, and their worried looks were out of sight.


	11. Practice

Disclaimer: Yeah, I don't own any of the characters from the Sky High movie, but I do own Eve, Beck, Kyle, and their dad. And any other characters I think of later. And I own The Ghost, Jake, Grace, and the band.

Author's Note: I probably won't get a new chapter written tomorrow, since I have to work in the morning and then I'm going shopping to buy a hat, among other things.

Chapter 11: Practice Makes Perfect

We stopped off at the house to get our instruments, and I had some problems getting to my room. I ran up the stairs, and halfway to the top I phased through them and landed in a closet. When I'd gotten untangled from all the junk in there, I tried the stairs again. I was very careful to think solid thoughts, and I made it upstairs. I grabbed my guitars and came out of my room as Kyle walked down the hall shoving his drumsticks in the back pocket of his jeans. He teleported us to the front of the club, and then he phased through the doors.

I thought I'd try controlling my powers and phasing through the door, couldn't hurt, could it? I tried to walk through the door, and just ran into it instead. I was rubbing my forehead when Kyle opened a door and popped his head out.

"Eve, we don't have all day. You'll get the hang of it later," he told me with a grin.

"Shut it," I grumbled, pushing past him into the building.

It was then that my powers decided to turn on, and I phased through the floor with a startled "Eep!"

After I'd found my way out of the basement in the dark and dusted myself off, I hobbled over to the stage, where Kyle was talking with some other kids. I was not sure how much more of this I could take; first day of school I'd gouged my hands—it still stung like hell—and today I had been thrown into a wall, crushed to within an inch of my life, been punched in the face by my own brother, landed on a bunch of brooms when I fell through the stairs, smacked into a door like an idiot, and landed on a hard, cold cement floor in the basement. I was in a _lot_ of pain.

"Does anybody have any Tylenol on them right now? Advil? Painkillers? Horse tranquilizers? Any of the above would be fine," I asked everyone in the group as I walked up.

Unfortunately, nobody there carried painkillers around in their pockets. I muttered some expletives under my breath as I sat down gingerly on a stool. I'm quite pain-resistant, but I can only take so much. Kyle disappeared and came back with a glass of water and a few Tylenols.

It took me about five minutes to choke down the pills, because I absolutely _loathe_ swallowing pills. After I'd taken the painkillers, Jake introduced Kyle and I to the rest of the band, who were all seniors at Sky High. Spinning discs was a short, wiry guy with spiky blond hair and a goofy grin, named Colin. He commented on the nice shiner I had. On bass guitar was Brent; he was a little taller than me, and had dark red hair curling out from under a bright red Oakley hat that shaded his dark green eyes. On drums, of course, was Kyle, and I was placed on lead vocals and guitar along with Luke. He had wavy black hair and almost golden brown eyes. They were all seniors, and they were easy to get along with.

"Now that you're all here, we can begin," Jake announced, "We have to sort out who will be singing each of the songs, since we have two singers. Plus, we'll have to see how well you all can play these songs."

So, we all got up on stage. Well, I had to try twice because I phased through the steps the first time. We practiced some of our songs, trying to decide who sang the lead better: me or Luke. Since I am a girl, I automatically got the lead in anything sung by women. However, I got a lot of the other song's leads too, because I'm just so damn good. I got the lead for the Linkin Park song, Numb, which made my day. Luke got the lead for almost half the songs; he was pretty good at singing too, I had to admit. On some songs, like Are You Ready by Three Days Grace, the rest of the band couldn't decide who was better, so we split the part.

In what seemed like no time at all, we were done going through all the songs and it was time to get going. Kyle and I said our goodbyes and walked out the door into the cooling evening. My stomach growled, reminding me how hungry I was.

"Hey Kyle," I inquired, "Can we go find somewhere to eat? I haven't eaten since lunch, and I think that all the getting powers and injuring myself repeatedly is making me crave some fast food. Let's look around here; if we're going to be playing at the club a lot, I'll need to know all the restaurants in a few blocks radius."

He nodded in acquiescence, and we looked up and down the street. Kyle pointed out a Chinese food place, which was as good an idea as any, so that's where we went. The restaurant was called The Paper Lantern, and it had a warm, comforting atmosphere. We got a table for two, and I was proud of the fact that I got to it without falling through the floor.

A waitress came and took our orders, and then we sat back and waited for our food to come, sipping glasses of water. When the meal came, I sighed in satisfaction, and then proceeded to attempt eating with chopsticks. That proved to be a difficult task, but I eventually caught on to it. Kyle had just used a fork, but I believed that in a Chinese food restaurant, you should use chopsticks. Which is why I usually just order Chinese instead of going to the restaurant.

The point is, the food was really great, even though it took a painfully long time to get any of it into my mouth. When we'd finished all our lemon chicken, sweet and sour pork, and whatnot, the waitress came to take away our plates and asked if we wanted a refill of water. I said yes, since I wanted to talk to Kyle about how to control my powers and the restaurant was a terrific place for conversation.

I was so preoccupied listening to his explanation about how to teleport that I didn't notice the guy who came to refill our glasses right away. And when I did notice him, I didn't recognize him right away either. I blinked in surprise.

"Warren?" I said in disbelief.

Warren was as taken aback at seeing me there as I was at seeing him there. I hadn't recognized him immediately because he wasn't in his usual badass getup; he was wearing an apron. His hair was pulled back out of his face into a ponytail. He looked…pretty good, honestly.

"I didn't picture you as the Chinese food restaurant type," I said in astonishment, "Unexpected, I've gotta say. Then again, you're not exactly a predictable guy, are you? Anyway, this is my brother, Kyle. Warren; Kyle. Kyle; Warren."

You know, there's a limit to how many coincidences there can be before I start to think this sounds like some badly written plotline. It's reaching that limit. Who'd thought I'd run into Warren there?

"How're you doing?" Warren asked; his voice slightly tinged with concern.

"I'm fine, and I'll be even better once I stop falling through solid floors and landing on hard surfaces," I answered truthfully.

Somebody yelled something in Chinese from the back of the restaurant, and Warren called back in Chinese.

"I gotta go," he told us, turning away almost hesitantly and heading to the back of the restaurant.

I looked after him a moment before returning my attention to Kyle, "I think we should be heading back home. We can finish our little chat later; this has been a long day. I just want to collapse into bed…hopefully not through it."

We left the money for our meal on the table, along with a very generous tip. Then we went outside, checked to make sure nobody was watching, and teleported home. Well, Kyle teleported us home; neither of us trusted my abilities much.

When we got home I did as I said I would; I collapsed onto my bed. After I'd changed into pyjamas, of course, but that's neither here nor there. I fell asleep almost as soon as my head touched the pillow, which is a miracle. I wish I could say I'd had pleasant dreams, but I didn't. I tossed and turned most of the night, trying to run from a terrible and unseen nightmare. I knew, though, that I couldn't escape it, because it was in my own genes.


	12. Changing Classes

Disclaimer: Yeah, I don't own any of the characters from the Sky High movie, but I do own Eve, Beck, Kyle, and their dad. And any other characters I think of later. And I own The Ghost, Jake, Grace, and the band.

Author's Note: If anyone who reviews me (thanks, by the way) knows when homecoming dances are supposed to be, could they please tell me, because I don't.

Chapter 12: Changing Classes

The next day, my dad had to yell in my ear to wake up; I was in that deep a sleep. Unfortunately, the jolt to the waking world caused me to phase through my bed, then my floor, landing on the edge of the living room coffee table. I groaned and got up slowly, making sure my back wasn't broken by the sharp corner.

Dad rushed down the stairs in concern, crying, "Oh my God, Eve! Are you alright?"

"I'll be fine in a few hours. Don't worry, I'm getting used to falling through floors and landing on junk. I'm going to go dissolve Tylenols into my orange juice now," I grumbled, heading stiffly for the kitchen.

After I had breakfast, I went upstairs to shower and get dressed. I put on dark blue jeans, a long-sleeve dark blue shirt, then a pale blue t-shirt over top that said 'Give me the chocolate and nobody gets hurt.' I love that shirt; it had a cartoon monkey on it holding a chocolate bar with a bite out of it. Hilarious.

By the time the painkillers started to kick in, it was time to go. I put my hat on and stuffed a bottle of Tylenols in my messenger bag hastily. I was going to need them later, I was sure. I hadn't brushed my hair yet, so I grabbed a brush on my way out the door.

Once on the bus, I took a seat, put on headphones, and shut my eyes in concentration. All my friends looked at me curiously.

Zach spoke up first, "What're you doing?"

"I'm concentrating very hard on staying solid. I wouldn't want to fall out of the bus, since I don't quite have the hang of teleporting yet. That is what I'm doing," I replied through gritted teeth.

After that, they sort of left me alone. I guess they didn't want me to fall out of the bus either. I hoped I stopped randomly phasing through the floor soon; after all, I do go to a _floating_ school.

When the bus landed, I got off, realizing that I couldn't concentrate like that all day. It was tiring. So, I practiced my teleporting all the way to the doors of the school. At least I could do that easily; I wouldn't want to be teleporting to random places on top of phasing through floors unexpectedly. Now, if I fell through the floor, I might be able to teleport myself to safety before I got injured myself further.

I teleported to my locker, brushed my hair, got my books, then teleported to Hero Support class where I was reprimanded instantly.

"You're not supposed to use your powers outside of the school gym. I suppose you'll be staying even longer in detention today for that," Mr. Boy huffed.

I gave him a skeptical look, asking, "I'm in detention today? How come I didn't hear about this?"

Just then, the loudspeaker crackled, and the Principal's voice announced, "Evelyn Grey, report to the office immediately. Evelyn Grey, to the office."

"I guess that answers my question," I muttered to myself, walking out the door.

When I got to the office, Powers told me to sit down.

"Well, Miss Grey, you're still causing problems, I've heard. Giving Mr. Boy the middle finger?" She looked questioningly at me, and when I just shrugged in response, she continued on, "For that, you'll be going to detention. Moving on, it seems you've finally come into your powers. Fortunately, it's still early in the year, so you'll be transferred into the Hero class. I expect you on your best behaviour from now on, or I may have to suspend you. We wouldn't want that, since you have a lot of potential. Here's your new schedule, Mr. Medulla already knows that you're coming. Get going to Hero class. Congratulations on becoming a Hero, and remember, behave."

I stalked out of her office, puzzling over how she could congratulate me and scold me in the same sentence. When I got to Mr. Medulla's room, he stuck me with that kid, Larry, who'd taken my siblings and I to Powers' office the first day.

"Today, we'll be making heat rays. The parts are all in front of you. By the time I get to your table it had better be done, and you will be graded according to how well it's made. Get started," Medulla told the class.

Larry turned to me, attempting a suave look while introducing himself, "Hey, I'm Larry. I'll be you're lab partner for the year."

"Thank you, Captain Obvious. I didn't catch any of that at all while Medulla was talking," I replied sarcastically, "Can we just get to work now?"

He looked stunned for a moment before answering sulkily, "Sure, sure we can get to work. You should try to be a little more pleasant."

I glanced at him disdainfully, retorting, "I don't play well with others. Now get working."

Despite the fact that Larry _looked_ like a complete geek, I had do most of the work, and we got a C. I think he knew what to do the whole time, but purposely held back to aggravate me. After we got our mark I went over to Kyle's table—about three desks back and two rows to the left of mine—to ask him a question.

"Hey Kyle," I called as I approached, getting his attention, "How far away do you think I could teleport from here? Do you think I could do long distances?"

"Well, I'm not sure if it's the same for you, but I can teleport pretty much anywhere in the world if I can picture it in my mind. If you don't know what the place looks like, it gets trickier, and then short distances are best," he explained.

I nodded thoughtfully, saying, "So, if I wanted to teleport to a place in our old town, theoretically, I could?"

"Theoretically, yes…why?" he asked suspiciously.

"Just wondering. Anyways, thanks for the info, I've got to go make a call if I want my lunch on time. Talk to you later," I responded, gesturing my hand dismissively as I sauntered back to my seat.

When 'Mad Science' class was over, I had a small break before my second class, so I went looking for Layla and the other Sidekicks…I mean, Hero Support. I found them at their lockers, which were all fairly close together.

I walked up to them and asked, "Hey you guys, what kind of pizza do you guys like?"

They liked pepperoni, mainly, though Zach liked Hawaiian, and Layla was a vegetarian. When I'd gotten their preferences, I got to my next class, which is all about how to do 'Hero' stuff. Whatever that is. Before class started, I got Will and Warren's favourites. They'd looked at me strangely when I'd asked, but they told me anyway. I sat down at the back of the room and took out my cell-phone and dialled a long-distance number.

When someone picked up, I said, "Paul?... Yeah, it's Eevee. Long time no see. Anyways, I was wondering if you could have four medium pizzas done in, oh, about one hour?.. Great, I'll be around to pick them up then. I need one pepperoni, one bacon, one Hawaiian, and one veggie… What? I'll explain it when I get there, don't worry. I'd never keep you in the dark… Well, not too long anyway… Yep, see you soon. Bye."

Warren raised an eyebrow at me quizzically as he took his seat in the back, but he didn't say anything. By the end of the class, I still didn't know what the teacher was teaching, because I hadn't been paying attention from the start. I was drawing in my book, and the teacher didn't really seem to care if people listened or not; they just droned on and on. The only part I heard was something like, "A good heroic pose is critical to being a good superhero." Do you see why I wasn't paying attention?

About ten minutes before the end of class, I turned in my chair and told Warren, "I'm going to attempt something now. If I'm not back by Gym, then you know I screwed up somehow. I'll see you at lunch, hopefully."

Before he had time react, I teleported out of the school.


	13. Another Power

Disclaimer: Yeah, I don't own any of the characters from the Sky High movie, but I do own Eve, Beck, Kyle, and their dad. And any other characters I think of later. And I own The Ghost, Jake, Grace, and the band.

Author's Note: Still don't know when homecoming dances are supposed to be, and I need to know for my story.

Chapter 13: Another Power

I reappeared in an alley facing a building with a sign saying 'Marina House' in big italic red letters. Once my ears stopped ringing, I did a little victory dance. I'd teleported over a thousand kilometres—hundreds of miles, whatever—to my old town in Alberta. I figured that's a big accomplishment. The warmth of the States must've been softening me, because I was freezing. I ran to the restaurant in front of me quickly, pulling open the door and heading inside. The pleasant atmosphere of my favourite restaurant was just as I remembered it. It seemed like it had been so long, when really I'd only been away for a summer so far. A guy with shaggy black hair came out of the back having heard the bells on the door when I opened it. He grinned ear-to-ear when he saw me.

"Eevee," he exclaimed, "It's good to see you! How'd you get here? Kyle, right? Where is he then?"

I shifted uncomfortably, replying, "Well, no, Kyle isn't here. And he didn't bring me here, either. I sort of…got my powers. Yesterday. So, now I can do anything Kyle can do, and…more…unfortunately."

His face fell a bit at that, and he gave me a hug. I smiled weakly at him for his effort.

"Don't worry, Eevee. You won't follow in her footsteps; you're better than that. Now you're just super-powered, that's all. You do your own thing," his grin returned as he continued, "You must be pretty strong if you can teleport all the way to Canada after one day. Anyway, that will be $32.97 for the pizzas. I'll get them."

While he went to the back to get my pizzas, I fished the money out of my wallet. He returned with the food, and I said a hurried goodbye as we exchanged pizza for cash, because I wanted to get to the cafeteria before it got crowded. I teleported out of the restaurant as I waved him farewell.

I reappeared in the middle of a highway, and dove out of the way just before a truck ran me over. I gathered my wits as I sat in the ditch for a moment, and then I gave it a second try. This time, I turned out in the Sky High cafeteria, and let go of the breath I'd been holding in. The bell was just ringing, and I was the first person there. I took my usual seat and waited for the rest of the group. The first one to show up was Warren, sitting down across from me and eyeing the pizza boxes curiously.

"And there I thought you were the resident bad-boy, Warren," I said jokingly, "You're losing your touch! Sitting at a table with people _voluntarily_? Wow."

He smirked, shooting back, "Well, apparently you're the resident _bad-girl_. Picking fights, skipping class, flipping off teachers, knocking Lash out cold…why, you're a hard-core badass. You're making _me_ look _good._"

"Was that…Judges," I rose my hand, looking up at imaginary judges, "Uh huh, I do believe that was a joke," I clutched my heart, "I think I'm going to have a heart-attack. Whoa, that's almost too much to comprehend."

He reached across the table and punched me lightly on the shoulder, telling me to stop over-reacting. Then the rest of the group came to the table, and Warren sobered up. I wondered if I'd been imagining him joking around.

"What's with the pizza boxes…where'd you get them?" Zach questioned, practically drooling.

"I got them at my favourite pizza place back at my old town. Long-distance teleporting makes my ears ring, that's so weird. You guys better be grateful, I almost got run over by a semi getting back here," I told them.

Everybody at the table grabbed a few slices, well, Zach grabbed more than a few, but that's okay. I don't eat much, so I just had a slice of bacon pizza and took out my drawing book.

"Just for the record," I announced offhandedly, "If you guys want more pizza for lunch some other time, you're going to have to pay up. I'm not paying every time."

As I was taking a pencil out of my bag, a stretchy arm snatched my book off the table. I shot out of my seat and turned to face Lash angrily. He was smirking as he flipped casually through my drawings.

"Give me back my book, now," I said icily, ignoring Speed as he sped to Lash's side.

"Come get it," Lash taunted, raising the book above my head.

I heard Warren and the others get out of their seats behind me and growled at them to stay out of it as I tried to get my book. I didn't want to have to use that accursed energy-stealing power, so I didn't have any way of hurting Lash. He just stretched his arm further when I attempted to grab my book. I was getting seriously pissed, and I stood on my tiptoes straining to reach my book. Suddenly, I felt my arm go all…stretchy. Lash was so surprised that I had elongated my arm that he didn't react when I snatched the book out of his hand. I had my book back before he knew what hit him. For that matter,_ I_ didn't know what I'd done, either. I was super-stretchy?

However, I didn't outwardly show how shocked I was, because I wanted to keep Lash off-balance. I smirked, patting him on the cheek like he was a foolish child.

"Lash, you'd better get lost before I decide to put you in another miniature coma," I threatened coolly.

Lash looked furious and bewildered at the same time, then his look became completely furious. He knew that he couldn't win this battle, though, so he and Speed stalked away. After they'd left the cafeteria, I sat back down in my seat with a bewildered look of my own. What _had_ I done?

Then my phasing powers switched on, disrupting my trail of thought and dropping me on the cold, hard floor. This happened at exactly the same time as some blonde girl was walking past the table, and she therefore walked right through me. My head went spinning like it had when I'd phased through Lash in gym, and I couldn't see straight. I shook my head as the girl who'd walked through me shivered. It was then that I had an idea.

My vision still swimming, I jumped up and demanded, "What's your power?"

"Um, I have ice powers? Why?" she asked.

"Why do people always ask me why? It doesn't matter," I blew off her question impatiently, turning to my friends, who were still standing by their seats, "I've got to go do something. I'll see you all in gym in a bit. I need to test a theory."

With that said, I grabbed my bag and rushed off, leaving them behind to try and comprehend what had just happened. I went to the girl's washroom, checking to make sure no one was in there. Then I put down my bag, braced my arms on a sink, and stared in the mirror with a determined expression; mentally preparing for my experiment. I stood up straight, wondering how to start.

"Okay, Eevee, let's see if you're right, or you're just crazy," I said to myself, "Think cold. Freezing. Ice. And stop talking to yourself!"

I shut my eyes and focused on the coldest feeling I knew—a winter night in Canada on the outdoor rink—trying to remember the sensation of the chill night air seeping into my very bones. My hands grew ice-cold, and I looked down at them. They were glowing a cold blue. I stared in shock for a few seconds, and then decided to test my glowing hands. I made a throwing motion with my left arm, and a glowing blue ball flew from my hand and froze the garbage can. I let go of the cold, and the glow vanished. I examined the garbage can, tapping it lightly with a finger. It shattered.

I backed away in astonishment, leaning back on a sink. I looked at my reflection in the mirror and spoke to myself again in a hushed voice.

"Well, this is interesting."


	14. Gym Class

Disclaimer: Yeah, I don't own any of the characters from the Sky High movie, but I do own Eve, Beck, Kyle, and their dad. And any other characters I think of later. And I own The Ghost, Jake, Grace, and the band.

Chapter 14: Gym Class

I ran out of the bathroom, heading for the gym with my messenger bag flapping wildly behind me. I stopped abruptly in front of my locker as a thought occurred to me.

I rested my hand on my locker door, willing it to phase through. It sunk through the metal, and I didn't even fall through the floor. That was an improvement. I whirled around, scanning the halls for a target. I halted some black guy by jumping in front of him with my hand held out in the classic 'stop' pose.

"What's your power? Come one, I don't have all day," I ordered, tapping my foot impatiently.

The guy was confused, but he answered quickly, "Uh, acid spit?"

I nodded thoughtfully; then swiped a hand right through his chest. Now he was really confused.

"You can go now," I told him dismissively.

He took off, looking over his shoulder at me uneasily. Once my vision cleared enough for safe walking, I took off before I was late for gym class. I changed quickly and ran over to the stands where my friends were sitting.

"You guys, you're not going to believe what happened," I burst out when I reached them.

Before they could ask, I summoned my recently procured ice powers and made my hands glow blue, holding them up for everyone in the group to see.

"You have a new power?" Ethan inquired.

"More or less," I replied, extinguishing the glow, "But it's a bit more complicated than that. I'm not sure I understand it myself, but I think I've got my dad's power too. Weird. Anyway, I'm getting better at the whole phasing thing. Watch this."

I lashed out, phasing my hand through Will's head. My knees almost gave out, but I managed to remain standing. At that point I decided to phase through people with discretion; it was really making me feel ill.

"Okay, that's going to my head explode sooner or later, I'm sure. I think I need more Tylenol," I said, sitting down and holding my head in my hands.

Just then, Boomer decided to start the festivities, yelling, "Alright, it's time to play Save The Citizen. Let's see, for villains, it'll be Lash and Speed. And for heroes, I pick pink girl over there, and…the new ghost. Get suited up!"

I glared angrily at him a moment before I stood up and started for the edge of the arena, handing my hat to Warren for safekeeping as I passed him. I saw 'pink girl' looked back at her friends worriedly, obviously not liking Boomer's choice much. I was already halfway through strapping on my body armour when she came up beside me and started putting on her equipment over her pink gym outfit. She was carefully pulling her blonde hair into a ponytail when I asked her what her power was.

"I can, like, change into a fairy kinda thing and shoot fairy dust," she replied, acting like it was the best power in the world.

"Uh huh, and what does this fairy dust do?" I questioned blankly.

"It, um, makes people sneeze sometimes. And it has, like, pretty colours," she said enthusiastically.

'Alright, Boomer stuck me with a complete airhead,' I thought. Damn, I don't think he likes me much. However, with my new powers, I was pretty sure I could take care of Lash and Speed on my own. Even though I wasn't quite sure how to use all my powers yet. My partner and I stepped into the arena at the same time as Lash and Speed did on the other side. I gave my scatterbrained partner a sidelong glance as she unfurled pink butterfly wings; groaning inwardly at Boomer's choice of partners.

"Ready…Set…Go!" Boomer hollered, initiating the game.

Lash and Speed began as they usually do; Lash stretched out his arm to make a slingshot that Speed used for an added burst of speed. He hit Pinkie, knocking her into the boards. She collapsed into a heap and didn't get back up, so she was out of commission and I was on my own. Speed tried to body-check me too, but I went into my phase mode, and he ran right through me. I staggered, disoriented for a moment, and shook my head to clear it. Lash reached out and wrapped his arms around me. I phased through them, noticing in the back of my mind that it didn't make me dizzy that time.

I didn't have time to think about that though, because Speed was coming back to try taking me out again. I summoned up my glowing blue ice powers and threw a nicely timed ice ball, freezing Speed instantly. The audience gasped in surprise. I turned on Lash, taking the offensive. I used my newly acquired super-speed to run up right behind Lash, and as he was still turning I grabbed him by the shoulders, throwing him across the arena. He crashed into the boards and slid down. Before he could get up, I stretched out my arms, picking him up like a rag doll and slamming him into a mailbox, then a bench, then a post. I lifted him higher up and dropped him, teleporting underneath him and snatching his arm before he hit the ground, hurling him into the boards again. Thinking I was taking far too much pleasure in beating the crap out of Lash, I ended my fun by tying him into a ball.

I teleported to the citizen and grabbed it, teleporting back to the floor before I fell and got mulched, forgetting that I could fly due to Will's powers. The time stopped at 1:24, and everyone cheered as I threw the citizen off to the side. I walked to the edge of the arena and began taking off my gear, trying to avoid at least some of their eyes. I don't like being the centre of attention; it makes me uncomfortable.

"What're you doing, Grey?" yelled Boomer, "Don't take off your gear! You have to keep playing until you're beaten, that's how the game goes! Since your partner is down for the count, pick someone else for your team. Hurry up!"

I groaned, not enjoying the prospect of having to continue until I lost. I looked for a new partner, considering picking someone weak and throwing the match so that I could get out of that accursed spotlight. My gaze landed on Warren, and his amused smirk made me change my mind. It could be fun, after all.

"I pick Peace," I called to Boomer.

Warren's smirk grew to a full-fledged wicked grin as he came down the stairs. I teleported to his side as he began putting on his body armour, and he placed my hat on my head before continuing doing up his straps. I turned my hat backwards in preparation for the next round of Save The Citizen.

"Okay; Peace, Grey, you guys want to be heroes or villains?" Boomer asked.

"Heroes," we both answered without hesitation, almost at the same time.

"I'm surprised," Boomer muttered to himself—not joking—before continuing, "Who're your next victims?"

I glared at Boomer as Warren picked out our next contestants.

After a _long _gym class, I headed wearily to my next class, which was Hero History. Being the champion has its disadvantages; I felt like I was going to just fall asleep where I stood, I was so exhausted. Warren and I won every match, even when we were up against Will and Layla. We played them for fun, and we let them down gently. However, we didn't let that girl Penny down easily at all; I'm guessing Warren had a grudge against her after the last year's homecoming.

During the whole 'Hero History' class, I slept in the back of the class. The teacher was the same one that taught that stupid class on how to be a Hero, so he didn't even notice. After class, I was just about to get on the bus to go home when I remembered that I had detention.

I sighed in resignation, turning around and walking back into the school. I was really beginning to hate detention. I was considering making an attempt to stay out of trouble when I reached the futuristic door of the detention room, where Powers stood waiting patiently. She wordlessly opened the door and ushered me inside.

When I saw who was already seated in one of the white desks, I somehow succeeded in hating detention even more.


	15. White Room

Disclaimer: Yeah, I don't own any of the characters from the Sky High movie, but I do own Eve, Beck, Kyle, and their dad. And any other characters I think of later. And I own The Ghost, Jake, Grace, and the band.

Author's Note: Chances are, it will take me longer to update from now on. What usually happens when I write a story is happening again: I'm subconconsciously losing my interest, and it's getting progressively harder for me to think up the next chapter. Plus, there's homework to do, and I _still_ don't know when homecomings are supposed to be. Just so you all know.

Chapter 15: The Damn White Room

I pivoted on my heel and tried to escape the infernal white room, but the door shut in my face before I could take more than two steps. I slumped my shoulders in resignation and turned around slowly. Lash smirked at me, motioning to the seat beside him. Since there were three desks in the round room, I chose to sit in the seat farthest from him instead. His face darkened for a moment before his smirk returned in full force.

"Well, well, well, whoever thought you'd be in here?" he asked in mock-surprise.

I glanced at him scornfully, retorting, "Do you really think that stalking me is a good idea? You know I can kick your ass, right?"

His insufferable smirk widened into a pleased grin as he mused, "You know, that bad girl act of yours is pretty hot."

My hands twitched when he said that, eager to pound his smug face in. Instead, I replied coolly, "You're a sucker for punishment, aren't you? Didn't you get a good enough beating in gym class?"

Lash grinned even wider, saying, "You're forgetting something."

"Oh? And what's that?" I spat, far too exhausted to bother being civil with him.

He smiled evilly, answering, "You can't use your powers in here. So now, I'm the one with the advantage. I can pay you back for the three days of toying with me."

"Toying what…?" I trailed off, wondering at what point I'd been toying with him, then I began again angrily, "The only thing I did that even came _close_ to toying with you was when I tossed you around like a rag doll in gym! You're insane!"

He got out of his seat slowly, his eyes focused on me almost fervently. That freaked me out, and I bolted out of my seat, keeping as many desks as possible between us.

"So, where's Speed?" I asked nonchalantly, stalling for time as I frantically tried to think of a plan to get out of this.

Lash started around the desks, responding just as nonchalantly as I, "Speed thought he'd sit this one out. He knows when it's personal."

I couldn't help myself; I sarcastically shot back, "Really? And there I thought he was your boyfriend! Aren't you two gay?"

He scowled, dashing around the desks at me. However, I was quicker, and darted to the other side of the room. His devious smirk returned as he began to advance slowly. I moved the other way, and he began speaking casually as we circled the room cautiously.

"Come on, don't you think it would be fun? It's not like you have any other choice; you can't run forever in such a small space," he said, speeding up for a few steps.

I quickened my step too, noticing that the distance between us was getting smaller as he moved inward away from the wall.

"That's called assault, you stalker! Leave me the hell alone! I really and truly detest you, so you need to stop it! Don't think I won't press charges!" I snapped at him, then tried to put the desks between us again as he rushed forward suddenly.

He changed direction unexpectedly and cut me off. I back away quickly, but soon I felt the wall at my back and tried to slide to the left. Lash blocked my exit with his arm, staring into my eyes intensely as his other arm twined sinuously around my waist, effectively trapping me. I realized that even though I could beat the crap out of him once we got out of that room, I couldn't overpower him without my powers, and I was in trouble. I started trying to get him off me, which just amused him more. I managed to get free of his arm and tried to bolt, but he shoved me back into the wall forcefully.

I hissed slightly in pain, having gone too long without the Tylenols that were keeping all my old injuries at bay. I lashed out at Lash—no pun intended—and struck his chin with my fist. He blinked in shock, flexing his jaw to make sure it wasn't broken. Perhaps he was just surprised that I'd punched him instead of slapping him. I figured that in that case, slapping him would've seemed like an act of desperation. Not that I wasn't desperate; I just didn't want to show it. He got over his shock fast, however, and grabbed me again, pushing me into the wall harder this time. I gave up trying not to look desperate and scratched him, leaving bright red streaks all along the right side of his face.

I raised my hand to swipe him with my nails again, but he caught my wrist and pinned it to the wall, along with my other arm. I attempted to wriggle out of his grip, but it just got tighter. I winced in pain; sure he'd cut off my circulation. Then he leaned down until his bangs brushed my forehead and I could feel his breath on my skin. I redoubled my efforts, but resistance was futile.

Lash pressed his lips to mine fiercely, and I got very dizzy. It was almost like when I phase through someone, but it was much weaker and it felt…weird. I got the sudden urge to hurt him; not just because he was _assaulting_ me and had harassed me all week, but because I just wanted to generally cause pain for my own amusement. I wasn't in a very good position to be contemplating this sudden antagonistic compulsion, though, because Lash _was_ mouth-to-mouth with me still; and I had to think of something—anything—before this escalated.

Summoning up all the energy I had left—which wasn't much at all—I shoved him back as hard as I could. I must've caught him off-guard, because he stumbled backwards, releasing me, and tripped on a desk. He fell backwards over the desk; landing sprawled on his back with his legs sticking up in the air. He scrambled up furiously as I sank to the floor wearily, having literally used up all the energy I possessed.

I was in even more trouble now, since he was mad and I could barely lift a finger to protect myself. In the back of my mind, I came to the conclusion that taking people's powers probably had a draining effect that had just recently caught up with me. I wasn't thinking about that as he began to advance again, however. I was thinking more along the lines of 'God, send a distraction; anything at all would suffice.'

Just then, the door opened and Powers stepped into the room, looking quite perplexed at the scene before her.

I raised my eyes to the roof in awe, mouthing, "There _is_ a God."

Powers raised an eyebrow, a hint of curiosity in her voice as she announced, "Lash, you're free to go now, since stuffing some freshman into a locker _right in front of a_ _teacher_ isn't a very serious offence. Get going."

After giving me a flustered glance, he stomped out of the room hurriedly.

Powers turned back to me, asking, "Miss Grey why are you on the floor? What's wrong with you? Miss Grey? Eve!"

It was about then that I blacked out.


	16. Completely Exhausted

Disclaimer: Yeah, I don't own any of the characters from the Sky High movie, but I do own Eve, Beck, Kyle, and their dad. And any other characters I think of later. And I own The Ghost, Jake, Grace, and the band.

Chapter 16: Completely Exhausted

I opened my eyes and saw nothing but white. For a moment I thought I was still in the detention room, but when I turned my head I realized that I'd just been staring at the ceiling of the nurse's office. At least, I assumed it was the nurse's office, as I'd never actually been there before. The frail little nurse bustled into the room, proving my theory correct.

"Oh, you're finally awake, I see," the nurse said in surprise when she saw me, continuing, "You gave us quite a scare, passing out like that. We called your father, but he was out on a mission. My, my, you're still pale as a ghost…sorry, I forgot. Anyway, you're not one of those anorexic girls, are you? You're completely drained. Drink this."

I took the juice box she handed me, sitting up with some difficulty and popping the straw through the top as I responded, "Of course I'm not anorexic; I like food far too much to starve myself. I think it's one of my new powers that's draining me; plus I had to play 'Save The Citizen' for the entire gym class. I'm just really exhausted."

The nurse nodded thoughtfully, musing half to herself, "Well, that would certainly explain your present condition. I've heard about your newest trick of using other's powers. That would probably take a lot out of you," she snapped back to busy nurse mode and began giving me instructions, "Alright, here's what you must do to avoid coming back to my office every day. Number one: don't use your power-stealing power too many times a day. How many times did you use it today?"

I thought about it; ticking off my fingers as I listed, "There was ice-girl, then acid-spit guy, and Will. Oh, Speed too. That's it, I think; so four times today. Unless Will counts as two because of his strength and flying."

"In that case, you shouldn't take people's powers more than five times a day; preferably less. Number two: you need to eat more high-energy foods to counter the energy you lose taking powers. So, eat more pasta and so on, as well as plenty of fruits, especially citrus; you're looking a little low on Vitamin C. I never thought I'd say this, but you'll need to have more sugar too; other than what you'll get from the fruit. So, you should have some candy or chocolate regularly, as well. I don't have anything here to give you except suckers. Since you need the extra sugar, you can have three instead of just one. You should get something to eat as soon as possible, however."

I stopped sucking up the last drops of orange juice and put the juice box down as I remembered where I was supposed to be after detention, and I asked hurriedly, "What time is it?"

"It's 6:42 pm," she answered, looking at her watch.

I grabbed my bag from the bed-side table, hastily stuffed the suckers she gave me into it, and jumped to my feet; swaying a bit as I exclaimed, "Oh God! I gotta go! Um, thanks for the suckers. Bye!"

I teleported straight into the club instead of outside, frantic about how late I was. The result was me appearing exactly where the Colin was standing. I staggered forward a few steps holding my head; which was, of course, spinning like a top—not literally, but you know what I mean. Kyle grabbed me by the shoulders before I smacked my face into the stage. I shook my head, then sat down on the stage and shook my head yet again. You know how you see dots in your eyes if you stare at a bright light or get your picture taken with the flash on? Well, that's what I saw when my sight cleared a bit, only it looked more like cracks all through my vision. Weird. I blinked, dispelling the weird afterimages forking across my sight.

"Are you alright?" Luke asked in concern.

I replied wearily, "Yea, I'm alright. Or will be when I have some food. Apparently my new power is tiring me out. Sorry I'm so late; I was in detention and I…I blacked out. Woke up in the nurse's office about five minutes ago."

"Oh it's nothing," Colin told me, his goofy grin returning, "We were just finding out how much we suck without you. That tickled, by the way."

I stared uncomprehendingly for a second before understanding what he was saying, and then I apologized, "Sorry for teleporting through you, Colin. That's never happened before; I didn't even know that _could_ happen. What do you mean you guys suck without me? That's ridiculous."

Colin face turned serious as he replied, "Seriously, Luke just can't sing your part as well you, and Kyle kept screwing up because…I don't know, because he sucks?"

At that, his silly grin resurfaced, showing that he was joking.

"Seriously, though, we aren't nearly as good without you, Eve. And Kyle _was_ screwing up, but that's because he was worried about you," Kyle looked at Brent indignantly when he said that, and Brent continued, " Well you _were_, Kyle. You kept glancing over at the doors and then slipping up, which kinda gave it away."

I looked at Brent in a new light, having never noticed before that he was a very observant guy under his quiet exterior.

"Well, you could be the psychiatrist of the group, Brent. Who knew you could read people like books?" I said jokingly, causing Brent's face to flush slightly.

"Anyway," I said turning my attention on Colin, "What was your power again? Wasn't it electricity or something like that?"

"Yeah, electricity, and the technology it powers," he answered comically.

Not that it was a comical statement; it's just that everything Colin says is comical. He produced an electrical current between his hands for emphasis, and I tried to copy him, only to find that I couldn't use my powers. I was tapped out.

"Alright, I need to eat. Can't we just practice tomorrow? We already know all the songs," I whined, attempting to adopt a pitiful look.

Kyle and the others rolled their eyes, and motioned for me to get going. I would've run out of there to go eat, but running required too much energy. I went to the closest restaurant I knew of: The Paper Lantern.

Once inside, I was placed at a table and had my order placed _very_ quickly, probably because they thought I was going to pass out soon. I was sipping a glass of Coke through a straw when Warren showed up with my food. I looked up at him as he put my plate in front of me and saw worry painting his face.

"What's wrong with you?" I asked, not bothering with chopsticks and grabbing a fork.

He stifled a sarcastic laugh, replying, "That's what I should be asking you. Do you have any idea how you look right now?"

"Well, I feel like death walking, so, something like that perhaps?" I retorted, displeased that I had to answer his question instead of immediately attacking my food.

"Pretty much," he said seriously, sitting down across from me, "What happened to you?"

"Oh, just stuff," I answered vaguely, waving my fork in a circle, "I don't even know anymore. Apparently taking powers is tiring business, so I need to eat. And that's what I'm doing. Now, no more interruptions please."

You look like you're going to pass out," he persisted.

I paused with my loaded fork halfway to my mouth, snapping, "Well, I wouldn't have that problem if you'd just let me eat my goddamn food, Peace!"

He quieted down and let me eat, but when I finished eating—which didn't take long, I was famished—he began again.

"What happened to your hair? Did you dye it?" he inquired curiously.

"What do you mean what happened to my hair? What's wrong with it?" I asked worriedly.

"It's, I don't know, different. It got lighter or something," he replied, shrugging.

I told him to order me some more chicken and went to the bathroom to see what was wrong with my hair. When I looked in the mirror I noticed that my hair was, in fact, different. Under normal circumstances—which is ever other time in my life up 'til then, I suppose—my hair is a very, very, very dark brown: pretty much the closest brown come to black without _being_ black. I saw in the mirror that my hair was still dark brown, but a much _lighter_ dark brown than before. Does that make any sense? Once again, I was confused.

I went back to my seat, and Warren was still there. I said I agreed that my hair was indeed lighter, but also said that I didn't really care at the moment and needed more food. Warren had to get back to work, so I finished my meal in peace—no pun intended—and left a big tip before leaving, because I just appreciate food so much more when I'm starving.

Since I now had some energy, I promptly teleported back to my house. I went to my room and flopped onto my bed; fast asleep before I even touched the mattress.


	17. Bad Day

Disclaimer: Yeah, I don't own any of the characters from the Sky High movie, but I do own Eve, Beck, Kyle, and their dad. And any other characters I think of later. And I own The Ghost, Jake, Grace, and the band.

Author's Note: To answer MyFictionalAnnihilation's question (why does she keep teleporting if her powers drain her?): Only Eve's power-stealing power drains her; the rest aren't a problem, including teleporting. To everyone in general: doesn't anyone know when homecoming is supposed to be? I _need _to know for my story. Anyone who could tell me would be much appreciated.

Chapter17: Bad Day

I woke up Thursday morning feeling very irritable; didn't know why, I just was. I went to my closet looking for something to wear, and just even more annoyed when I couldn't seem to find anything that I liked. In the end, I found a tight green-and-black striped shirt with really long sleeves that almost hid my hands. I didn't even remember having bought it, and I knew for a fact it wasn't my sister's—I don't borrow my sister's clothes, she has a much too preppy style for my taste. I put a tight black hooded tank top over that shirt, and then pulled on a pair of baggy dark green cargo pants. I put on my necklace and black runners before grabbing my hat and trudging downstairs.

"Well, looks like someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed today," Beck joked cheerily as I entered the kitchen.

I flipped her off as I slung my messenger bag over my shoulder, getting a shocked look in return. I teleported to the back of a Subway; not feeling like having breakfast with my family. I went inside and bought a foot-long BLT sub, a bag of chips, and a bottle of iced tea. As I was sitting at a table eating my breakfast I glanced at the clock mounted on the wall in front of me.

"Shit!" I swore, adding a few more profanities under my breath as I gathered up the rest of my food and ran outside. I went into an alley, checked to make sure there were no witnesses, and teleported to school. I got to my first class late, and had to knock on the door for about three and a half minutes until the teacher was finally annoyed enough to open the door and let me in.

I went to my table and sat down, ignoring all the people looking at me for coming in late. Mr. Medulla announced to the class that we'd be making sleep rays.

"Well, let's see how good you are at making those," Larry said in an annoyingly insolent tone, "Since you don't seem very friendly today, I'm sure you just want to do it by _yourself_."

I grabbed the front of his shirt in one hand and pulled him up so that we were face-to-face, growling menacingly, "_You_ will make this ray by _yourself_, and you will _like_ it, or else I will phase your head through a brick wall, zap your energy, and leave you there. Got it?"

He gulped and nodded frantically, getting to work immediately as I pulled out my headphones, hoping that maybe music would put me in a better mood. When Medulla came over, he asked Larry if I'd helped make the sleep ray. I looked at my lab partner threatening behind Medulla's back, and he tripped over his tongue saying how much I'd helped and so on. I gave him a satisfied smirk as Medulla gave us an A.

After 'Mad Science' I had that sit through that stupid class about how to be a Hero. I spent the entire class flicking little balls of ice at the people in the front row when the teacher wasn't looking, which was most of the time. When that class ended, all the kids in the front row hurried out of the room rubbing the backs of their necks, which were probably frozen. I teleported off the campus and bought my lunch at a McDonalds, returning to sit at an empty table before the cafeteria got crowded.

And there I sat, minding my own business, when I heard a familiar voice behind me remark, "Wow, the striped look really works for you, I've gotta say. Trying out my style, are you?"

I turned around and replied icily, "I can't really say the striped look works for you, Lash. Leave me alone before you get hurt."

Just then, Warren showed up and sat down at the table. Lash and Speed decided to do the right thing and leave; not wanting to get burnt by the pyro as well as bent into pretzels by me.

Warren looked at all the food I had, commenting sarcastically, "Do you have enough to eat, Eve?"

I scowled at him and dug into my fries as he asked, "What's up with you today? You're acting very weird. Did someone run over your dog or something?"

"I don't even know what's wrong with me, I just feel so strange. I can't help myself," I gasped as I thought of something, and exclaimed, "If I keep acting like this, I'm going to detention _again_! I don't think I could stand one more minute in that damn room. I've got to clean up my act, and _quick_."

"Well then, quit acting like such a bully. That's Lash's job, remember?" Warren told me.

It was at that point that I had an epiphany. My eyes widened in alarm and I grabbed a lock of my hair, holding it in front of me. I looked down at my new lighter hair colour, then up at Lash, who was across the cafeteria picking on some freshman. I looked back down at my hair, then back at Lash, then my hair again. I had just realized why I was feeling mean and had lighter dark brown hair. The same colour as Lash's hair. I let go of my hair in shock. This made no sense whatsoever.

Warren followed my gaze across the cafeteria and saw that I was looking from Lash, to my hair, and then back with a look very close to horror on my face. He quirked an eyebrow at me quizzically, but then caught on, being the quick guy that he is.

"How did you…" he started trailing of in confusion.

"No idea at all," I answered, a little too quickly.

Warren looked at me suspiciously and opened his mouth to continue his questioning, but Layla and the others sat down, and he didn't think this was topic he should be talking about in front of them, judging from the glare I was directing at him. If looks could kill, he would've been dead and buried. I gave Zach some of my fries before he drooled all over the table, and lunch went by as it normally did.

When I was finished all my food, I left the cafeteria and Warren followed me. I opened my locker and started putting my books away, ignoring Warren as he leaned against the lockers and stared at me, waiting for me to say something.

When I remained silent, he started the conversation, "So, what was that death glare for? What is it that you don't want the others to hear? And what's Lash got to do with it all?"

I shut my locker slowly, trying to pick what I said carefully, "I think I know how I got this hair colour and the weird attitude."

"How would that be?" he pressed.

"Well, you see…he sort of, um…kissed me," I replied, the words coming out like they had to be forcibly yanked out.

"What?" Warren yelled, smoke curling up from his clenched fists.

I winced at the shout, putting my hands up in defensive and explaining hastily, "It's not like I wanted him to! There wasn't much I could do to stop him! I can't use my powers in the detention room, and I was completely drained anyway! I couldn't put up much of a fight! Not that I didn't try; he's insane!"

"I'll kill him!" Warren said angrily, his fists bursting into flames.

"God, Warren! Don't kill him! Don't kill anyone because of me; I'd feel terrible if you went to jail. Calm down, I'm thinking of a plan," I said, holding him by the shoulders to prevent him from going back to the cafeteria and barbequing Lash.

He looked down at me for a _long_ moment, an unreadable expression in his eyes, and then extinguished his hands. I sighed in relief, afraid that he would've actually tried to kill Lash if I hadn't stopped him. After an even longer moment, I realized I was still holding onto him. I let go of his shoulders impulsively, looking up at his face to see that he was still looking at me strangely.

"What?" I demanded.

I really don't like it when people stare; it freaks me out. Just thought you should know.

He snapped out of it, replying, "Nothing. We should get to gym class."

As we walked down the hall to the gym, he asked me, "You'd feel terrible? Why?"

I shrugged uncomfortably, answering, "You're my friend, aren't you? I don't want anything bad to happen to you, especially because of me."

He gave one of his rare smiles, and we walked on in silence as I tried to puzzle out what that unreadable expression of his meant.


	18. Venting Anger

Disclaimer: Yeah, I don't own any of the characters from the Sky High movie, but I do own Eve, Beck, Kyle, and their dad. And any other characters I think of later. And I own The Ghost, Jake, Grace, the band, Luke's sister, and the new Senior girl. Maybe it's just simpler to say that I own anyone who wasn't in the movie. I'll do that.

Chapter 18: Venting Anger

I was actually early for gym class, so I stood watching the sidekicks speed-change, still trying to find out how it worked. I heard the door to the Hero change rooms slam and turned around expecting to see Warren, since we'd gotten there at the same time. Instead, Lash was walking up to me smirking that goddamn smirk of his.

"Hey, hottie, what's up?" he asked nonchalantly, still under the impression that I didn't hate him.

I felt my blood boil; whether out of anger or…something else, I had no idea. I didn't even bother with a cutting comeback; I just turned my back on him and walked away. He grabbed my arm and tried to pull me back, and I resisted the urge to start beating the crap out of him. He would _not_ get me put in detention today. No way was I going to be caught by his little plot to get me powerless again. However, the only way to make him let me go was to hurt him, so consequentially, I was dragged back. Dragged right into some sidekick, actually. Reflexively, I phased through the kid, which left me dizzy and half-blind.

'Damn,' I thought, 'I should've just phased when he grabbed me. How stupid of me.' Of course, phasing through the sidekick caused Lash's arm to phase right through me too, so at least I was free of him. After a moment standing still to clear my head, I continued walking to the stands, refusing to acknowledge Lash's existence. I felt him grab my arm again, but then he snatched his hand back like he'd been burned. Then curiosity got the best of me and I looked back, just catching Warren as his flaming hand extinguished. Lash was holding his arm in pain where a scorch mark scored his striped sleeve.

I smiled gratefully at Warren, and then turned to ask the sidekick I'd phased through what his power was. The kid said it was super-hearing before he ran off, afraid I'd hurt him or something. I guess word traveled fast that I was in a bad mood.

I figured that wasn't too bad a power, trying it out in time to hear Warren hiss threateningly to Lash, "Leave Eve alone, or I'll burn you so badly that they'll need _dental records_ to identify the body. Got it?"

"That's surprisingly possessive for you, isn't it? At least _I've_ made my intentions _known_," Lash whispered back tauntingly.

That little conversation ended with Warren stalking away as Lash frantically tried to put his blazing shirt out. Layla and the other sidekicks joined me as I sat down, asking why Lash was running to the change rooms on fire.

"No idea," I replied, dismissing their suspicious looks by saying, "I'm going to try invisibility now. I really don't want to spend the whole class beating every damn person in the gym again; it's tiring."

True to my word, I tried to go invisible to avoid detection by Boomer as he picked the players for yet another fun-filled game of Save The Citizen. Unfortunately, I didn't quite have the hang of making myself invisible, and Boomer picked me to start off the game. I went down to the arena and started putting on my body armour—which is pointless if you think about it; I can just phase through things—as Boomer picked the other three victims. For once, he did not pick Lash and Speed right off the bat, which was too bad since I wanted to pound the life out of Lash at the time. The two chosen to be the villains were Luke—you know, from the band—and his sister, whose name I don't actually know. I suppose Boomer thought that Warren and I made a good team, because he picked the flame-thrower to be my partner. Once everyone was suited up, Boomer signalled for the game to commence.

Luke sprouted metallic claws and went after Warren as his sister began flinging blades at me from out of nowhere. I managed to dodge the flying blades, barely, and teleported behind her, freezing her solid with a touch. I turned my attention on Luke, who was still attempting to catch Warren, who had eluded him thus far. Warren fell, and I tackled Luke just before he struck the finishing blow. He got up quickly and slashed at me, forcing me to phase through the claws. I found out the hard way that claws are, in fact, still part of the body. My legs gave out and my vision blurred as I acquired his power.

This time, Warren came to the rescue before our 'villain' finished _me_ off, catching Luke with a fireball to the chest and knocking him a few metres away into the boards. Warren ran to my side and pulled me to my feet as I shook my head vehemently, banishing the sharp after-images flashing through my sight.

"You alright?" Warren asked distractedly, watching as Luke got up off the floor.

"I'm fine," I replied, joking, "Hey, I've got to stay in the game long enough to knock Lash into last night, right?"

Warren grinned as we both rounded on Luke. We took him out as painlessly as possible; I couldn't practice later if one of the lead singers was out of commission, plus he was a friend. After we'd gotten the citizen doll for that round, Warren and I proceeded to beat several teams before Boomer—who wasn't letting us pick our enemies that day—finally picked Lash to a villain, though he picked some new Senior as Lash's partner instead of Speed. I watched as Lash and the new girl put their heads together and planned their strategy.

When the game started, I imprisoned the girl in a cage of electricity and targeted Lash, bashing him into every obstacle on the floor in less than ten seconds. I was still amusing myself throwing Lash into anything that would hurt when I heard Warren shout out in alarm. I whirled around to see what it was and saw Warren get nailed by a flying bench. I dropped Lash and focused on this new threat, as the girl was an obvious telekinetic.

Her eyes started glowing a freaky red, and when I tried to rush at her, I found that I couldn't move. Warren got up out of the wreckage that had once been a bench and ran at her, igniting his arms. Before I knew what was going on, I saw my own arms rise from my sides, and I threw a ball of ice at Warren. He noticed just in time, and ducked just as the frozen orb flew through the space where his head had been a moment ago. He looked at me in confusion, but I wasn't in control of myself anymore. I could only watch helplessly as I shot bolts of lightning at my own partner. Eventually, he slipped up and got hit in the shoulder. I teleported next to him, lifted him above my head, and hurled him across the arena into the boards. I sent a current of electricity through him, and his back arched in pain. I kept trying to make myself stop, but I couldn't break free of the girl's mind-controlling hold on me.

The buzzer sounded, ending the match. I collapsed, finally in control of my own body again. I staggered upright and ran over to Warren; he wasn't moving. I knelt beside him and shook him, calling his name and checking to see if he was breathing. I breathed a sigh of relief as I felt his chest going up and down slowly; glad that he wasn't dead, just unconscious. I held onto his arm, attempting to teleport him to the nurse's office. It worked, and I set him on the bed before the nurse kicked me out.

I paced outside the door in the hall, still in my gym clothes and gear. I was praying that he was alright and that I hadn't hurt him seriously, but the image of him contorting in pain on the floor as _I_ sent electricity coursing through his body kept repeating over and over in my mind.

After what seemed like forever, the nurse came out and said that he'd be okay, but I wasn't allowed to see him because he was resting. She shooed me off to my next class, but I really didn't want to learn about 'Hero History' just then, so I wandered the empty halls instead. I felt so terrible; I'd almost _killed_ Warren!

I turned a corner and ran into the last person I wanted to see: Lash. He looked very battered, but he still smirked at me.

"So, will I be seeing you in detention today?" he asked, grinning impudently.

"Hell no! You won't be seeing me in detention today, or ever, for that matter! Leave me alone, you goddamn stalker!" I yelled, tired of putting up with him.

"I disagree," Powers spoke up from behind me.

I whipped around and glared at her, inquiring as to what I'd done to be put in detention.

"You stuck about five freshmen sidekicks into lockers, that's what you did," Powers replied smoothly.

"What," I exclaimed indignantly, "I didn't stuff any kids into lockers! What the hell made you think that?"

"Each and every one of them said you did it, and I don't see why they'd all lie," she answered, looking slightly annoyed that I was denying it.

I couldn't believe it; Lash had stooped so low as to frame me. He probably forced those freshmen to say it was _me_ that shoved them into the lockers. I think we all know who _really_ did it, don't we? If I ever found out their names, there'd be hell to pay for this.

I looked at Lash furiously, saying, "If I'm being sent to detention _anyway_…"

With that said, I launched myself at Lash, using all the powers in my collection to see how much damage I could do before Powers could stop me.


	19. By Myself

Disclaimer: Anyone or anything that _wasn't_ in the movie is mine, and anyone or anything that _was_ in the movie is not.

Author's Note: Much thanks to Lita Lightning, who gave me a general idea of when homecoming is supposed to be. I'm very grateful.

Chapter 19: By Myself

I sat in the detention room thinking over the day's events all by myself; turns out that I could do a _lot_ of damage before Power's stopped me. Lash was bruised, frozen, and electrocuted; and I even managed to give him a few minor burns from acid spit. So, he was in the nurse's office, unconscious, and couldn't trouble me for a while. He'd be feeling that whopping for a _long_ time. Thinking of the nurse's office reminded me that Warren could very well still be in there because of me, which led me to wonder were he was at that moment, and if he was okay.

I didn't have much time to make myself even guiltier because the door opened, admitting Powers and…Lash. I stared at him in shock, wondering how he was able to stand up unassisted so soon after the beating I gave him. Powers gave us both a stern look before leaving. Lash sat down next in the desk next to me, and I started rummaging through my bag, once again trying the 'ignore him' strategy. I pulled out a bottle of water and a bottle of pills, dropping two Tylenols into the water and replacing the cap. I shook the bottle of water viciously to slowly break down the pills. I was still seriously banged up from all the falling through stuff the past couple of days, so I still needed to have a painkiller cocktail every so often.

I knew it was only a matter of time before Lash got bold and tried to make his move, if the other times in detention were any indication of a pattern. Once the Tylenols were dissolved, I started taking big gulps of the terrible tasting water.

I had to hold my own in that godforsaken white room, which would require not aching every time I moved. I figured I'd have a good chance, because Lash must've been on much more serious painkillers than me to be moving at all. After a while I grew suspicious, wondering why Lash hadn't tried anything yet. He just sat there, seemingly oblivious of my presence. I began to think that maybe I'd actually knocked some sense into him. That thought was short-lived when the door opened again, and Powers shooed Speed into the room, shutting the door.

So, he was just waiting for _reinforcements_? Bastard. Almost as soon as the door was shut, Lash and Speed walked up to my desk, staring at the top of my head until I finally looked up at them.

"Yes?" I asked casually.

Speed reached down to grab me, and I half-fell, half-jumped out of my seat to avoid being caught so soon. I picked myself up off the floor hastily as they came around the desk, backing away to the far wall.

"I swear to God, Lash, if you try this again I'm going to hurt you so bad it'll make that thrashing I gave you before feel like a pleasure cruise," I threatened.

"I like a girl that enjoys a little pain with the pleasure," he replied shadily, starting to smirk but wincing in pain as he found that the bruises on his face didn't take it too well.

I grimaced at his obscene way of turning everything I said against me, and then bolted to the left. Speed tried to cut me off, but a fat kid with super-speed is just a fat kid in the detention room, and he couldn't run nearly as fast as me. I had the desks between us now, and I was pretty sure I could keep dodging them; Speed was slow—what an oxymoron—and as I had suspected, Lash could just barely walk, let alone run.

The door opened again, startling me to death. I whipped around clutching my heart, hoping that Lash didn't have some more buddies that I was unaware of. Powers ushered Layla, Will, Zach, Magenta, and Ethan into the room with a bewildered shake of her head.

"Whoa, you guys almost gave me a heart-attack," I exclaimed, then paused and looked at them quizzically, asking, "What are you guys doing here?"

"Before Warren was picked to play Save The Citizen, he told us that you might get lonely stuck in the detention room all by yourself, so we thought we'd come and keep you company," Will answered, pointedly not looking in Lash's direction.

I gave them all small hugs; which the biggest gesture of friendliness I'd shown since I was five years old. Of course, when I was six years old when I became a social reject due to my mom, which made me somewhat less friendly. I was _that_ grateful for their timely intervention; I'd actually hugged someone, even if it was just a half-hug. Maybe I was becoming normal again…well, normal-ish. I saw Lash glaring bloody murder at Will's back and stuck my tongue out at him. As soon as I'd done that, I realized that it might not have been such a good idea; Lash grinned wolfishly, obviously twisting my action out of proportion again. The last thing I wanted to do was add more fuel to the fire, metaphorically speaking.

Detention passed uneventfully for a while, since Lash and Speed couldn't really do anything when I had the whole gang with me. Unfortunately, whatever offence my friends had committed, it wasn't as bad as whatever Lash and Speed had done. As for me, I'd 'savagely attacked a fellow student,' to quote the upbraiding Powers gave me before throwing me in that infernal white room. So, I was going to be in there for a while. Powers told the group that if they tried to pull another stunt for the rest of the week, she'd have to find a punishment other than detention to keep them busy. Why didn't she do that for me? It's just not fair.

The point is, I was left in the room with Lash and Speed, and they immediately picked up where they'd left off.

"Well, we wouldn't want you to get 'lonely', now would we? Why don't you come over here and I'll keep you company," Lash invited, looking me up and down _very_ suggestively.

"Just try and make me," I challenged, and then wished I could take back those words as Lash and Speed stood up.

"Alright then, I will. I find the hard-to-get act _extremely_ hot, by the way," Lash said smoothly, ignoring the pain long enough to flash an attempt at a seductive smirk.

I was beginning to get exhausted again, and mentally noted to bring a bunch of chocolate bars or something like that to detention next time; and there would almost certainly be a next time, unfortunately. I would not give up without a fight, though there was some small part of me—the part that developed after Lash assaulted me—that wanted to do just that. That, however, was not me: that was some weird side effect of my powers that I had yet to understand.

I got as far away from them as possible, and they were still advancing as my back hit the door. They were just about to grab me when the door opened again, and since I'd been leaning against it, I stumbled backwards. I was caught just in time and looked up to see who it was. I was pleasantly surprised.

"Hey Kyle, how's it going?" I asked cheerfully, still looking straight up at him, as I was almost parallel to the floor.

He set me back on my feet as Powers answered for him, "What is it with you kids and misbehaving today? He was caught throwing someone's books off the edge of the school. Some poor student will be going without their things tomorrow."

After she left us—she was very close to pulling out her hair, too—I asked Kyle whose books he'd tossed.

"Take a wild guess," he replied; glancing over at Lash before continuing, "Family's got to stick up for each other, right?"

The rest of detention went smoothly, and eventually our very exasperated principal let us all out of the detention room, telling us to leave the school before we could do more mischief. She didn't have to tell my brother and I twice, we teleported off to the club the second we were out the door.


	20. Saying Sorry

Disclaimer: Anyone or anything that _wasn't_ in the movie is mine, and anyone or anything that _was_ in the movie is not.

Author's Note: I couldn't update yesterday because I had to work. During work I drew a picture of Eve, Kyle, and Beck because I got really bored. However,I don't know how to get it on the internet, so you can't see it. Sorry.

Chapter 20: Saying Sorry

I'd learned my lesson about teleporting directly into the club already, so I appeared in the alley behind the club and went in the back door. Kyle was just walking in the front door when I cam inside, and the rest of the band was already waiting for us by the stage.

"Sorry about gym class, Eve," Luke began, but I cut him off.

"What about gym class?" I asked breezily, not wanting to get into that topic.

Luke noticed this, and said, "Um…trying to slice you. Sorry about that, there's not much else I can do with my power, you know."

"Well, I'm sorry for knocking you around a bit, I didn't want to completely incapacitate you, because we have to practice," I replied airily, hopping up onto the stage and grabbing my guitar, "And that is what we should be doing."

They all exchanged glances before climbing onto the stage and picking up their instruments. We began to rehearse, but we had to keep starting over because I kept screwing up. I couldn't even get the easiest song right, and I was getting really pissed. Each time I messed up, I got even more frustrated, and the other's concerned looks didn't help my mood.

After what seemed to me like a long time, Kyle announced that we should have a break, and everyone agreed whole-heartedly. I teleported up to the roof because I felt like the room was closing in on me. I liked to sit up there when we had breaks to think about things, and right then I was thinking about Warren; wondering if he was okay. After a while, Brent settled on the roof beside me, his black-and-silver dragon-style wings folding and disappearing as he landed gracefully.

"Nice designs on the wings. Do they mean anything?" I asked, preferring to concentrate on the trivial things.

"Don't know," he answered casually, "but they are pretty cool. So, upset about nearly killing Warren, I see?"

I was so shocked at that casually tossed out phrase that I phased through the rooftop. As is the instant reaction when someone falls, Brent tried to grab my arm. Of course, I was in phase mode, so his hand went right through me, and I landed on the floor of the club painfully with my head spinning. I teleported back to the roof immediately, still shaking my head and blinking excessively to get rid of the after-images.

Once I could see again, I glared at Brent indignantly, saying, "Well, who wouldn't be upset about something like that? I lit one of my friends up like a light-bulb."

"You couldn't sing 'Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star' right now, which leads me to believe that you're upset beyond what would be normal. When you got your powers you could still sing fine, and you were pretty upset then, so you must be _very_ distressed to screw up this much," Brent said, sounding a lot like a psychiatrist.

"That's _ridiculous_," I scoffed, and he looked at me knowingly with his deep green eyes, obviously not buying it.

"So what?" I asked, becoming annoyed with his continued prying into a sensitive subject.

Brent began unfolding his wings as he said, "I don't think you'll feel better until you get a chance to talk to Warren and make sure he's okay. It's no good practicing if you can't go two notes without being distracted. We can already play the songs, so the rest of the band thinks that we'll be fine enough tomorrow without rehearsal today. You should just go; there's nothing more to do here, and it's past seven o'clock anyway. We'll practice before the opening tomorrow."

I stared at him for a moment in surprise, then said numbly, "Well, thanks, I guess. Seriously, you should be a shrink when you grow up. By the way, what exactly _is_ your power?"

"Flight, and some kind of weird black fire," he replied offhandedly, then took off and soared away.

I tested my newly acquired power, creating a blue-slashed black fireball in the palm of my hand as I unfolded some seriously cool-looking wings from my back. I extinguished the fireball and sat down, folding the wings but not making them disappear. I sat on the roof for a few minutes, trying to muster up the courage to go and face Warren. I didn't think he'd be too pleased to see me after I'd electrocuted him, even if it wasn't really me that did it; not technically.

I stood back up and took a deep breath to compose myself, then jumped off the edge of the roof, unfurling my new wings and landing on the pavement across the street smoothly. I quickly made the wings disappear, and then headed to the Paper Lantern, thinking that Warren might be there, assuming he was out of the nurse's office. I went inside the restaurant and looked around, hoping to spot him. I didn't see him, however, so when a waitress came and asked if I'd like a table for one, I asked her where he was.

"Why, he's at his house, of course. Apparently he got hurt pretty bad during some game in his gym class; 'Save The Citizen', I think it was. Horrible game, I think; so many kids get injured. From what I've gathered about the whole predicament, his partner turned on him. How could somebody do that? It's terrible!" she paused, then asked in concern, "What's wrong, dear? You've gone all pale."

"N-nothing," I said faintly, then walked away before she could ask more questions.

Once I was alone, I teleported home and sat on my bed, trying to figure out what to do next. I thought of something and ran downstairs, where I found Kyle and asked him if I could teleport to a person instead of a place.

"If you know what they look like, maybe. I don't know; never really thought about it," he said thoughtfully.

I decided to give it a try; I shut my eyes, forming a mental picture of Warren in my head and attempting to teleport. It worked, though I promptly found out that it put me in a very awkward situation. I opened my eyes and the first thing that I saw was Warren, who was standing in his bedroom in nothing but his boxers. He was holding a pair of jeans and had an extremely shocked look on his face.

I gasped and covered my eyes with my hands hastily, stammering, "I'm _so_ sorry! I-I didn't think…I didn't know I could actually do that and I never thought…sorry! I didn't think that you'd be…I have the _worst_ teleporting timing in _history_! God! Sorry, I just had to see you because…because I…sorry!"

He pulled my hands from my eyes carefully, and when I peeked an eye open, I saw that he was wearing some jeans now, though he still had no shirt. I opened my eyes fully, taking his physical condition in. He was standing unsupported, so he must've been somewhat okay; maybe I hadn't hurt him as badly as I'd feared. The only thing registering in my mind, though, was the fact that he had no shirt on. Due to my past social-reject status—once again, I truly hate my mom for ruining my life—I've never had a date, ever. Therefore, I am seriously at a loss when it comes to guys; especially hot guys with no shirts on. So, needless to say, I was very flustered. I focused resolutely on his face to avoid looking elsewhere, and noticed that he was looking at me with a sort of concerned expression.

"What're you doing in my room?" Warren inquired.

I began stammering again, "I felt really bad because I…because I _fried_ you! I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to. That girl—"

"It's alright," he cut me off, "I've already been told that the new girl was a mind-controller, it's not your fault. Did you really think I'd blame you?"

"I don't know, I just…just feel bad. I'm really sorry," I said breathlessly, feeling very faint, "I would never you hurt you, I just…I…"

I trailed off, and the room got more and more out of focus as the exhaustion from using my power-stealing power hit me with a bang. Warren barely had time to react and catch me when I lost consciousness and collapsed.


	21. An Unusual Morning

Disclaimer: Anyone or anything that _wasn't_ in the movie is mine, and anyone or anything that _was_ in the movie is not.

Chapter 21: An Unusual Morning

I woke up slowly, keeping my eyes shut in an attempt to hold on to the good dream I'd been having. I nuzzled deeper into the warm, smooth pillow and tried to go back to sleep. Wait a second, a _smooth_ pillow? An alarm clock sounding brought me back to reality in a flash, because I don't _have_ an alarm clock. The events of the previous night returned to me all at once, and my eyes snapped open. I was in an unfamiliar room, on an unfamiliar bed, and I was lying next to a _very_ familiar person. What I'd thought was a pillow was actually _Warren_; I'd been sleeping with my head on his shoulder.

I let out a startled squeak and shot backwards, which caused me to fall off the edge of the bed and land on the floor. I stood up, rubbing my back in pain and trying to remember where my Tylenols were. I almost fell down again because I was really dizzy for some reason. It sort of reminded me of one of the first in a series of dreams I'd had that night, in which I was standing in the middle of a cyclone made of fire as the world spun around me. That was one _weird_ dream. I put a hand on the bedside table for support.

Warren got up awkwardly, favouring his left side. He was wearing what he'd been wearing last night, which meant that he still had no shirt on, and that was making me uncomfortable. He stretched carefully before he even bothered to explain why I'd woken up in this foreign environment.

"So you're finally awake, I see," he commented nonchalantly as he crossed the room to a dresser and began rummaging through the top drawer.

"Yeah, I am. What am I doing here?" I inquired, a bit angry at waking up in a strange room.

"You came here last night, and then you passed out. You were out cold; you probably could've slept through the _apocalypse_. I would've taken you home, but I don't know where you live, and didn't know your phone number. Couldn't call your house, so I had no other option to let you sleep here for the night. And I wasn't about to sleep on the couch just because you fainted and all," he explained, picking a black shirt out of the drawer and pulling it on before continuing, "So, now you can teleport to your house and get ready for school, which is in about an hour."

Warren's explanation made sense, so I just nodded in acceptance of the story and tried to teleport home. Nothing happened, however.

"I can't teleport," I told him, getting a nonplussed look in return.

"Why not," he asked.

I shrugged and replied, "I guess it's because I have no energy, which is why I blacked out in the first place. No energy; no powers. I need to eat, but then it will take me a while to get enough energy to teleport to my house. So, got anything to eat?"

Warren rolled his eyes and answered, "No, I never have anything in my kitchen. I usually just pick something up for breakfast on the way to school. Looks like you'll be getting on the bus at my stop. Get ready, because we've got to be out of here in fifteen minutes."

With that said, he went to the washroom and brushed his teeth. While he was in there, I took the liberty of borrowing some clothes from his drawer, because I really don't like wearing the same stuff two days in a row, especially when I'd slept in it. I was feeling very icky. After a moment's thought, I snatched up a pair of leather gloves cut off at the knuckle too, thinking that he wouldn't miss one pair since he had a few. When he got out of the washroom, I went in to change. I glanced at my reflection in the mirror and stopped dead in my tracks.

"Warren," I called slowly, my attention fixed on the image in the bathroom mirror.

"Yeah," he called back from his room.

"What's wrong with my hair?" I asked cautiously, and he showed up at the doorway.

"It…must just happen with physical contact, or closeness, or something like that. I _was_ sleeping right beside you. Yep, that would explain it," he declared, ending the conversation as he hurriedly went back to whatever he'd been doing.

I looked back at my reflection, taking in the newest alteration of my hair colour. Now it was not only the dark brown shade of Lash's hair, it was tipped in black and had a couple red streaks in the front. I looked back at the doorway suspiciously, but decided not to press the matter because I just didn't know what to think if my suspicions were actually true.

I had a shower in record time and walked back into Warren's room, still towelling my hair dry to keep it from dripping. Warren looked up from stuffing some books into his bag.

"Hey, what're you doing wearing my clothes?" he demanded.

"I needed some clothes, so I'm borrowing yours, since I don't see anything else available. I'll return the stuff as soon as I can, but I refuse to wear clothes that I've slept in. It's just icky," I responded determinedly.

He just threw up his hands in resignation and muttered something under his breath about getting one of his favourite shirts stolen. I looked down at the clothes I borrowed, which was a short-sleeved black t-shirt over a long-sleeved deep red shirt, and some jeans. Since Warren is bigger than me, his clothes were a bit baggy. That was okay though, because it all felt very comfortable.

"I'm borrowing some gloves, too," I added.

"What? Why?" he inquired, "You don't need gloves."

"Because I felt like wearing gloves, alright? Do you have a problem?" I challenged, and then wondered where that little outburst came from.

"I'm going too let that slide, and assume you took it from my personality when you stole my hair style. Let's go," Warren responded, heading for the door.

I pulled on the gloves as I followed him outside. On the way to the bus stop we went to a seven-eleven and picked up some breakfast. We arrived at the bus stop just in time and got on the bus, which was almost empty. Warren took out a Stephen King book and began reading. Apparently, Warren's stop was one of the first on the route; so I was bored to _death_ by the time the bus pulled up at the school and let us off.

Kyle found me at my locker and gave me my bag, since he'd been nice enough to take it with him when I'd forgotten it at the club the day before. I thanked him and headed off to my first class. Larry did most of the work in making a freeze ray; I think he was still afraid I'd carry out my threat to phase his head through a wall. Since he was doing most of the work, I just handed him parts from time to time; vaguely wondering how many different rays there could possibly be, and what we do when we'd made them all. Fortunately for me, the kid next to me had the power to alter things at will, so I nabbed his power and made the clothes I'd borrowed from Warren fit a bit better. After Mad Science I went to that stupid 'How To Be A Hero' class, which I slept through. Will shook me awake at lunchtime, and I trudged to my locker to put my books away.

I was in the middle of shutting my locker door when I froze, a familiar feeling of being helpless in my own body coming over me. My body turned itself around to face the mind-controlling girl and her surprising new pal, Lash.

'Damn,' I thought, 'This can't bode well for me'.


	22. Insanity

Disclaimer: Anyone or anything that _wasn't_ in the movie is mine, and anyone or anything that _was_ in the movie is not.

Author's Note: I found out just after I'd added chapter 21 that I have to un-disable (enable) anonymous reviews so that people can anonymously review. So, for all the people that wanted to anonymously review and couldn't: sorry about that. It's enabled now.

Chapter 22: Insanity

Lash and his new friend were wearing identical evil smirks, and I'd have loved to wipe those grins off their faces, but I couldn't move. This really wasn't turning out to be a good day at all. I didn't even have control of my facial expression, so I couldn't glare holes through their damn heads.

"Well, maybe now you'll be a little more friendly, hmmm? Oh, I don't think I've formally introduced you to my cousin, Psyche. She already knows all about you," Lash told me.

"How nice to meet you," I heard myself say sincerely, mentally cursing that she could control my voice too.

Psyche smiled, commenting, "Not so sure about your taste, Lash. She's pretty, I'll give her that, but she seems a bit too…hostile. Might be hard for you to break. There's something strange with her mind, it's hard to keep a grasp on.

"Bite me," I spat.

"She's not supposed to be able to talk," Psyche said worriedly, obviously very surprised.

Lash looked sideways at her uneasily, probably wondering if I could actually break out of her mind control and kick his ass. Before he could ask about that danger, Warren, Layla, and the rest of the group came around the corner; almost running me over, by the way. They all stopped and took in the scene before them with looks ranging from confusion to suspicion. I saw Psyche glance uncertainly at Lash and heard him respond under his breath that it wasn't time yet. I suddenly regained the use of my own body and started towards Lash angrily. I felt someone pull me back and looked back to see who dared stop me from beating up the jerk.

Warren let go of my arm, shaking his head as he asked, "Do you really want to get sent to detention again? Just let it go."

"You're lucky I have somewhere to be after school," I growled to Lash before stalking off to the cafeteria.

"What was that about?" Layla asked when she and the others had caught up.

"Did you guys know that mind-control girl is Lash's cousin? 'Cause I found out the hard way, and I gotta tell you, I really don't need _another_ reason to watch my back," I answered in an exasperated tone.

They all mouthed 'Oh', and decided to keep quiet, since I was obviously not in the best of moods. I decided to actually try the cafeteria food for a change, and I found out that I don't really like cafeteria food much. I ignored most of the conversation and sat in a corner of the table to avoid being talked to. When lunch ended, I went to the gym by myself, somehow having managed to lose the others in the hall. I got dressed quickly and sat in the back of the stands, praying that Boomer wouldn't pick me today. No such luck.

"Let's see if the pyro and the ghost want a rematch. Grey! Peace! Get down to the arena right now! You too, Lash. And what's-your-name; Lash's cousin," Boomer yelled.

I teleported down to the edge of the arena and strapped on my equipment as Warren, Lash, and Psyche were still descending the stands. I had a bad feeling that this game wouldn't turn out any better than the last one. I waited for Warren to finish putting on his armour before stepping into the arena. Lash and Psyche were talking with their heads together, throwing a malicious look over in my direction every once in a while.

When Boomer signalled for the game to start, I immediately threw an ice ball at Psyche, hoping to take her out before she could do any damage. She dodged just in time, and I was thrown forward when I got hit in the back with a fireball. I jumped up and whirled around to see another fireball aimed at my head. I ducked and began tossing black fireballs at Psyche to make her stop mind-controlling Warren. Unfortunately, this caused her to focus her attention on me.

I lost control of myself and turned on Warren as he was still in shock from getting his control back. He managed to avoid the black fireballs I'd started throwing at him. Inside my head, I was frantic; trying to break free before I hurt Warren again. Anger over being forced to do this began to replace my fear of hurting him, and suddenly, I was free. I tried to shot an ice ball at Psyche, but all that came was a fireball. It was effective nonetheless, because she obviously wasn't expecting me to break out of her mind-control. The fireball hit her squarely in the chest and she flew back into the boards and didn't get back up. I rounded on Lash in a fury, not really caring why I could only use fire as long as I _could_ use it, especially to burn Lash to a crisp.

Before I could barbeque Lash too badly, however, Warren grabbed the citizen doll and the game was over.

"Oh come on, Warren. Couldn't you've given me a little more time?" I complained.

He pointed at the clock, which only had a few seconds left. Once I'd calmed down, I could use my powers again, and proceeded to use them to beat down every opponent I came across for the rest of the class. After class, I got changed and met Warren and Will out in the hallway to go to 'Hero History'.

"What happened? I thought you were being mind-controlled. How'd you get free? Another new power?" Will asked.

"Honestly, I don't know. I don't _think_ it was a new power. It's weird," I replied, shrugging.

Mr. Medulla came up beside us and said, "I think I may be able to explain this strange occurrence, Miss Grey."

"Oh?" I inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"I think that when you acquired certain people's powers, you acquired their personalities as well. Therefore, when you switched from one personality to another, Miss Thomson's grip on your mind was still holding on to the previous personality. She wasn't controlling the personality that you switched to, and lost her connection," he explained.

"How could you possibly know if I switched personalities? It's not a physical change," I questioned.

"Well, I believe that in a way, it _was_ a physical change. You seemed pretty surprised at the fireballs shooting out of your hands. Perhaps when you switch to a certain personality, you can only use the powers of the person with said personality. I'd recognize Mr. Peace's fiery temper no matter who's possessing it," Medulla said with a little laugh.

"That was _such _a lame pun," I remarked, seeing Warren shaking his head like he'd heard it _far_ too many times.

"Wait a second, are you saying I'm insane? This means that I have multiple personality syndrome, no?" I demanded.

"Sort of, but it's not really a mental condition because you aren't creating these personalities; they're actual people's personalities that you're acquiring. But technically, you do have multiple personality syndrome," analyzed Medulla.

"Do I need _medication_, or am I just normal?" I persisted, somewhat irritated by being called insane, _technically_.

"I don't think that you need medication, but you never know. In a few weeks you'll have an examination to make sure this isn't going to be a problem. Until then, try to suppress Mr. Peace's personality," Medulla advised, heading off to whatever class he was supposed to teach.

I looked at Warren and Will in bewilderment, declaring sarcastically, "Well, I have a mental problem. That's just _super_."


	23. Last Rehearsal

Disclaimer: Anyone or anything that _wasn't_ in the movie is mine, and anyone or anything that _was_ in the movie is not.

Chapter 23: Last Rehearsal

After an uneventful Hero History class, Powers came up to me when I was putting my books away in my locker. She stood there tapping her toe impatiently while I put each individual book away as painfully slow as possible. When I finished, I carefully shut my locker door and put the lock on perfectly.

Once I'd done that, I turned her and asked bluntly, "I'm going to detention for something I didn't do _again_, aren't I?"

"No, actually, for once you're not in detention yet. I just came to tell you that the appointment to check your mental state is going to be on October 2nd," Powers answered.

Just then, I involuntarily threw a black fireball at a row of lockers, destroying about four or five of them. Powers stared at me in shock, and I glanced across the hall in time to catch a glimpse of Psyche as she hid around the corner.

"Dammit, that was not _me_! Little mind-control _bitch_; I am going to get her back for that. Oh, she is _so_ going down! But it wasn't me; it was Psyche! I _swear_; I didn't do it!" I alternated between defending myself frantically and swearing revenge half under my breath.

"And now you're going to detention. Honestly, _why_ would you do that?" she asked incredulously.

"I just _said_ that I didn't do it! I was mind-controlled by the new girl! Why the hell would I do something so stupid! Is that _really_ how stupid you think I am! It's kinda insulting that you think I'm _that_ dumb. I can't go to detention today! I have to go to work early today, Goddammit!" I paused in my protesting before saying, "I mean, gosh darn it?"

She gave me a disbelieving look and said, "Why would Miss Thomson make you demolish a bunch of lockers? She's been nothing short of the perfect student since she got here, whereas you…you just haven't."

"Kind of like Gwen Grayson being the model student before she turned out to be Royal Pain?" I asked, my words dripping with disdain.

That made Powers a bit angry, and she ordered me to go to the detention room immediately. I thought about it for a moment, and then came up with an idea to stay out of that cursed white room.

I grinned at her, and replied, "Well, the problem with that little plan of yours is that my powers aren't neutralized out _here_, now are they?"

Before she could do more than register shock at what my intentions were, I'd teleported out of the school. Yes; I was a true badass now; I'd not only _gotten_ detention, I'd skipped it too. Why hadn't thought of this before? It would've made things so much simpler.

I appeared in front of the club and walked inside quickly, hoping that there was no way that Powers could track me. For once, I was the first one there, since everyone else had to take the bus. Oh, Brent could fly, but that still takes longer than the instant relocation of teleportation.

The inside of the club was full of activity; last minute preparations for the opening and so on. Jake was trying to oversee everything all at once, so I could only catch sight of him for a moment or two every so often before he was off again doing something else. I sat on a stool and took out a bag of snacks that I'd bought that morning at Seven-Eleven and began replenishing my energy as I waited for the others to show up.

"Eevee, what are you doing sitting around? Shouldn't you be practicing?" Jake asked busily, pausing for a moment.

"Without the rest of the band?" I asked perplexedly, taken aback at being asked to practice all by myself.

"What? Why aren't they here yet?" he interrogated me anxiously.

"Because they have to take the bus?" I replied uneasily, giving him a disturbed look that screamed 'You're _freaking_ me out.'

He seemed confused for a few seconds, and then realized that they would've just gotten out of school.

"I forgot about that. Sorry, I'm going insane it's so busy. I've got to get back to work," he told me hastily before getting lost in the bustle again.

I raised an eyebrow and went back to eating until Kyle showed up, closely followed by Brent. Luke and Colin got there a while later, so we started to practice all the songs that we were having any trouble with. Soon, things around the club slowed down because everything was done, and we finished practice; having done all we could to be ready for our debut. We got some Cokes and sat on the stage talking about unimportant stuff.

"Hey Jake," Colin yelled to the back, "Is there any dress code or something? What're we supposed to wear? Just whatever?"

"Just wear whatever, yeah. Anything that goes good with the image," Jake shouted from his office, adding as an afterthought, "Eevee, you might want to change, though."

I looked down at my clothes, calling to Jake, "What's wrong with what I'm wearing?"

He came out of his office for a moment to examine my outfit, answering matter-of-factly, "They can wear whatever they want because they're guys, but I'm not sure that the guy's look will work for our female lead singer. Just wear what you usually wear; you know, low-cut jeans, nice shirt, etc. Hurry home, you don't have much time before the opening."

I rolled my eyes at that, muttering, "Yeah, yeah; have to please the male population, right? Typical. The others don't have to change, but the chick, well that's a different story."

I teleported home to my bedroom and began rummaging through my closet, ignoring both Lash's and Warren's personalities. I didn't really want to wear stripes or ripped jeans, so I had to push those suggestions to the back of my mind. I ended up picking some dark blue hip-hugger jeans, a red muscle shirt, and a black spaghetti-strap tank top over that. So, Warren's dark style had seeped into my decision a bit. I grabbed some of my magnetic bracelets and a few hair elastics, decking my wrists with them as I teleported back to the club.

"Is this better, Jake?" I asked sarcastically.

One of the guys that were bringing in boxes actually _whistled_ at me, and I shot an ice-ball at him. Once that guy was frozen solid, I turned back to Jake, who was still staring wide-eyed at the guy I'd just turned into a Popsicle.

"That'll do," he replied in a somewhat high voice, then cleared his throat and continued, "But you can't freeze, injure, or verbally abuse anybody else if they think you look nice. It's bad for business."

I shot him an indignant glare as he went off, telling some other workers to pick up the new ice sculpture and move him to the back with the boxes. I turned around and focused the glare on the rest of the band—except Kyle, of course—who were looking up at the ceiling innocently.

I scowled at them, threatening, "Don't you guys _dare_ say _anything_," I held up a flaming fist for emphasis, "Or else."


	24. Opening Night

Disclaimer: Anyone or anything that _wasn't_ in the movie is mine, and anyone or anything that _was_ in the movie is not.

Author's Note: This chapter's longer than usually, I think, because I put lyrics in it. I probably won't update for the next couple of days because I'm going camping, but I'll write the next chapter(s) in a book andput it on the computer when I get back.

Chapter 24: Opening Night

I teleported to the roof and looked down at the front doors, where a whole bunch of kids from Sky High were waiting to get in. I teleported back to the stage and gave the rest of the band an estimate of how many people were out there. Luke was calm as always, and Colin was excited about finally getting to play for a crowd. Kyle didn't care one way or the other—just a paycheck—but Brent is a shy guy, so he was pretty nervous. I'm not exactly _anti_-social, but I wasn't looking forward to all those people hearing me sing. I was wondering why I'd ever let Kyle talk me into this.

"15 minutes 'til the doors open!" Jake called.

"So are we supposed to start playing before or after people start coming in?" Luke asked.

Jake thought about it for a second, and then said, "You should start playing now, so that you're warmed up by the time we let people in."

"Great," I muttered, grabbing my guitar and slinging it over my shoulder.

"You'll do fine Eevee. You don't see me worrying, do you?" Colin assured me.

I rolled my eyes, retorting, "That's because you're insane. Anyways, you don't have to sing, now do you? Hey Luke, dibs out on singing first. It would just lower my self-esteem far too low for them walk in and then run out because of my voice."

"I guess they'll just have to run out of the club on the second song then?" Luke asked jokingly.

"Ha…ha…ha. You're so just so funny, Luke. Hilarious," I sarcastically replied.

"What're we starting with then?" Kyle inquired, tapping on the cymbal lightly with a drumstick.

Since Luke was singing first, he got to pick the song we'd be playing when people started coming in. We went through a few songs before beginning to play the starting song, Scars by Papa Roach. We were halfway through the second verse when the first few people came through the door. As more came, I was thankful that I didn't know any of them, because I don't like singing in front of people that I actually know and speak to on a regular basis. It just makes me uncomfortable. So, I kept half an ear on the entrance.

We always practiced our songs in a particular order, so every song we'd be playing would be in that order, starting at Scars. When it ended, I began to strum the first cords of Dirty Little Secrets by The All American Rejects. I had the lead in this song, and when the introduction was done I started into the lyrics.

After several songs, I still hadn't seen anyone I knew in the crowd—except Beck, but she doesn't count because she's a relative—and was much relieved by that fact. I was halfway through singing Holiday by Green Day when my acquired super-hearing picked up an unfortunately familiar voice. I groaned inwardly, outwardly ignoring the new arrival. However, the new arrival did not ignore me. Lash sauntered up to the front of the stage with a big smirk on his face, closely followed by Speed and, unsurprisingly, Psyche. I continued ignoring him, sure that he wouldn't try anything in a club with a bunch of people around.

When I was finished the song, a few people in the crowd cheered, and Lash had the nerve to stretch his arm out and put a dollar bill in the front pocket of my jeans. I took the bill out and lit my hand up, reducing the money to ash in less than a second. I saw Jake by the bar—non-alcoholic bar, of course—frowning at me and shaking his head warningly. I suppressed an irritated sigh and went on to the next song. I looked back at Kyle and the others pleadingly, but my brother just shrugged and started the intro to Look Out Below by Closure. At least I was only the back-up singer on this one. If Lash didn't stop staring at me like that, I was going to snap and attempt to commit murder in front of a crowd of witnesses.

Just before we began the intro to Numb by Linkin Park, yet another problem walked through the door. I almost missed a beat when Layla, Will, Zach, Magenta, and Ethan came into the club with Warren trailing behind them sullenly.

"Honestly, Warren, quit being so gloomy," I heard Layla say, "You did _agree_ to come, so at least _act_ like you're having a good time. It's not every day a club for students opens."

I should've realized; who in the school _wouldn't_ come to the grand opening of a club that they could actually go to? I managed to not miss my cue, and started singing the song, cursing my luck at having them come in during one of my lead songs.

_I'm tired of being what you want me to be_

_Feeling so faithless_

_Lost under the surface_

_I don't know what you're expecting of me_

_Put under the pressure_

_Of walking in your shoes_

Luke sang the background _(Caught in the undertow, just caught in the undertow)._ I was praying that Layla, Warren and the others wouldn't recognize my voice.

_Every step that I take is_

_Another mistake to you_

_(Caught in the undertow, just caught in the undertow)_

I really don't like it when my friends hear me sing, because they think of me differently from then on, with no exceptions. Compliments make me uncomfortable, which is also why I don't let anyone see my drawing book. I had no luck at all that night, because even though I was singing and not talking, Layla recognized my voice right away and made her way to the front of the crowd, pulling the others along behind her. I almost screwed up, but just barely kept my concentration.

_I've_

_Become so numb_

_I can't feel you there_

_Become so tired_

_So much more aware_

_I'm becoming this_

_All I want to do_

_Is be more like me_

_And be less like you_

I could feel me friends' eyes on me, but I looked straight ahead. If I looked back at them, I was sure I'd mess up, and I'd really hate to mess up one of my favourite songs.

_Can't you see that you're smothering me_

_Holding too tightly_

_Afraid to lose control_

'_Cause everything that you thought I would be_

_Has fallen apart right in front of you_

_(Caught in the undertow, just caught in the undertow)_

_Every step that I take is _

_Another mistake to you_

_(Caught in the undertow, just caught in the undertow)_

_And every second I waste_

_Is more than I can take_

Ignoring my friends was too difficult and I finally looked at them. They were all looking at me with surprised and awed expressions. Warren's expression was unreadable.

_I've_

_Become so numb_

_I can't feel you there_

_Become so tired_

_So much more aware_

_I'm becoming this_

_All I want to do_

_Is be more like me_

_And be less like you_

I seriously didn't want them watching me. Warren was staring deep into my eyes, and I couldn't make myself look away. I hate when people look into my eyes during this song, especially during this next part. This song reminded me of my mom, and all the pain, anger, and despair that she'd caused me showed in my eyes for this one verse.

_And I know_

_I may end up failing too_

_But I know_

_You were just like me_

_With someone disappointed in you_

I still couldn't break my little staring contest with Warren, but the worst was already over.

_I've_

_Become so numb_

_I can't feel you there_

_Become so tired_

_So much more aware_

_I'm becoming this_

_All I want to do_

_Is be more like me_

_And be less like you_

_I've_

_Become so numb_

_I can't feel you there_

_(Tired of being what you want me to be)_

_I've_

_Become so numb……_

_(Tired of being what you want me to be)_

The moment the song was over, I signalled to the rest of the band that I wanted a five-minute break. Kyle knew how this song makes me feel sometimes, and so he seconded the motion immediately. I teleported to the edge of the crowd and slipped quietly out a door into the back alley. I sat down on the steps and put my head in my hands, resisting the urge to either cry or break something. I'd only been sitting there for a few moments when I heard the door behind me open.

"It hasn't been five minutes yet," I said agitatedly, my voice muffled by my hands.

When there was no response, I looked up and saw Warren standing on the top step, still with that unreadable look in his eyes. I started to stand, but then decided not to bother. He sat down silently beside me on the steps.

"Did you know that I used to visit my mother in jail?" I said morosely, giving a bitter laugh at the thought, "I stopped, of course. You see; she wanted me to help her break out. She was kind of disappointed when I told her that I didn't have any powers. And even more so when I told her she could rot in her cell for eternity for all I cared. To think, I used to look up to her, once."

"Why do you sing that song if it makes you feel this terrible?" Warren questioned.

"Because…I don't know. Maybe I need to remind myself. Usually I enjoy singing it, since it's from my favourite band. But sometimes…well, sometimes it just tears me apart inside. I guess seeing you, what with your father and all…did he ever ask you to be like him?" I replied, glancing at him.

"I never talked to him after he was put in jail," Warren said dismissively.

We sat there in silence for a few minutes until I had to go back inside to continue playing. I stood up to go and Warren grabbed my arm to stop me.

"What?" I asked.

He held my gaze for a few long seconds before looking away, disconcerted, stammering, "Nothing. It's nothing."

Had Warren just _stammered_? 'No,' I thought, 'that's not possible. I looked at him curiously, but before I could ask what that had been about, Brent opened the door and told me I should get back inside. I gave Warren one last puzzled glance before following Brent into the club.


	25. End Of the Day

Disclaimer: Anyone or anything that _wasn't_ in the movie is mine, and anyone or anything that _was_ in the movie is not.

Autor's Note: Sorry I haven't updated in so long; I got back from camping late at night, and then I had to catch up on my homework(apparently I have to actually _do_ the homework to get a mark), and then I had to work three evenings more than the expected none because I was doing a favor for various co-workers. And then to top it all off, I got writer's block. Still have it, actually, but I made myself try to write this chapter anyway. So, for all those who're going all shaky from withdrawal(ha, yeah right), here's a new chapter. While I was sitting there not being able to think of what to write next, I thought of a few other characters that I could use for a new story. Maybe I'll ask people for some characters to put in said new story when I decide to write it, just to be a bit more interactive.What do you guys think of that idea?

Chapter 25: End Of The Day

Somehow, I managed to get through the night with no other problems. I sang my songs, ignored Lash, and resisted the urge to annihilate every guy who whistled at me. All I could think was 'I need a raise'. Eventually, closing time came around and all the students were ushered out the doors. I sighed in relief and sank into a couch in the staff lounge.

Luke popped his head into the room with a big grin on his face and told me, "Hey Eevee, you have some loyal fans here that want to talk to you."

I gave him a flat stare, bluntly replying, "You must be joking."

"Yeah, yeah I am. I'm sure you do have loyal fans, but it's actually just your friends that want to talk you," he said, and then quickly dodged a fireball aimed at his head.

I told Luke to just let them into the staff lounge because I was too tired to get up without a very good cause, which talking is not. A minute later, Layla came through the door, followed by Will, Warren, Zach, Magenta, and Ethan. Layla immediately spotted me sitting on my couch and broke into a huge smile. I didn't think it was possible; shouldn't that wide a smile break someone's face in half? Ouch.

Anyway, Layla jumped onto the couch beside me, earning a disgruntled look and the comment, "You've only know me for about a week, and I'm not the most sociable person. Quit being so overly-friendly; it creeps me out."

If possible, her smile got even bigger and she burst out, "Oh my God, why didn't you tell us you were such an amazing singer!"

"Fine, completely ignore what I just said. And I'm not an _amazing_ singer, I'm just pretty good," I responded, inching away.

"No _way_, man! You _are_ amazing, yo!" Zach piped up.

"I swear to God, if anyone asks for an autograph they're going to get hurt. I didn't tell you guys 'cause I knew you'd act like you're acting right now. I don't need the unwanted attention. I should never have taken the job," I muttered.

"Come on, you were great," Layla said.

"Looks like I do have loyal fans. Anyway, I'm dead tired now, so I'm going to go home and try to get some sleep. You guys should do the same; it _is_ past midnight," I told them.

"Aren't you hungry?" Layla asked curiously.

"Yeah, but I want to sleep," I pressed.

Layla smiled again, saying, "You can't go to bed hungry, Eve. You can come eat some pizza with us. I know this great place that would still be open, because they know that some people want a late night snack. We'll go to my place and order some pizza and watch a movie. So what if it's midnight? It's the _weekend_," she suggested, though it sounded more like a command to me.

"I don't have a choice, do I?" I inquired.

"No," Warren answered, sounding a bit morose about the fact.

After a brief glare at Warren, Layla turned to me and answered for herself, "Nope. You've gotta come. I won't take no for an answer," she gasped as she thought of something, "We can have a sleepover!"

Warren and I groaned at the same time, not much liking that idea.

Layla ignored us completely, continuing, "Yeah, we'll have a big sleepover! My parents don't mind when I have a bunch of people over, even for a sleepover. It'll be great! Everybody needs to get their stuff before we go, I suppose. I'll order the pizza, everybody run home to get your pyjamas and stuff. How does that sound?" she asked, obviously set to ignore any negative comment.

"I can't go, I should've been home already. My parents worry. Sorry," Ethan said sadly.

"I'll just have to change their minds. Don't worry, you'll be there," Layla assured him.

"Unless you all live close to the club, it'll take a while to get everyone's junk," I stated, always the one to rain on parades.

"Ha, most of us _do_ live close by. You're not getting out of this, Eve," Layla told me triumphantly.

I resisted the urge to curse out loud and decided to give up, because once Layla had it in her mind to do this, she wouldn't be budged. I sighed in resignation and told her I'd be back in a second because I was teleporting to my house, which wasn't near the club. Warren's house wasn't near the club either, so I volunteered to teleport him home to get his stuff too. I found out that I actually could teleport other people. I'm not a social expert, but I still think it's weird that a guy can sleep over at a girl's house. I teleported Warren to his house, and then teleported to my house to pack.

I was confronted almost immediately by Beck, who was still up for some reason.

"You are in big trouble, Eevee. Dad got a call from the principal about you, and he's very pissed off. What did you do? Anyway, he's asleep right now, but you can bet he'll be grounding you first thing tomorrow. Also, he says you'll be going to detention back in the school tomorrow. Oh, you must've done something bad to go to detention on a Saturday. So, I'd suggest tiptoeing unless you want him to wake up and yell at you," she warned.

I nodded thoughtfully, then replied, "Well, story of my life; getting in trouble. I'm just here to get my stuff, I'm going to be sleeping over at Layla's house," I scrunched my face for a second before continuing, "So, I'll just leave all that 'til tomorrow."

Beck stared at me in shock, then repeated what I'd said in surprise, "You're _sleeping over_ at Layla's house? You're sleeping over at _anyone's_ house? Wow, just wow."

"Yeah, I had no say in the matter. So anyways, thanks for the heads up, didn't know you'd help me out like that," I remarked.

"Well, us siblings got to stick up for each other, right?" she said offhandedly.

I looked at her surprised for a second, then shook my head in confusion and went to get my stuff. Once I had everything I'd need, I teleported back to Warren's house, careful not to teleport into his room again. After Warren and I had teleported back to the club and found that that others weren't there, we had to go looking for them. We found Zach and Magenta outside heading for Layla's house. We got to the house and Will was already there. Layla and Ethan showed up soon enough, I guess Layla actually could convince Ethan's parents to let him come.

We put in a movie—I got to pick since I was the 'Star' or something like that, so we watched Blade Trinity—and sat down to wait for our pizza. The pizza got there, was paid for, and we finished the movie while eating it. I have to say, the pizza wasn't as good as the pizza back home, but it was okay. Everybody but Layla and Ethan thought the movie was awesome. Layla apparently doesn't like violent movies, and Ethan doesn't like vampires. Whatever: majority rules.

After that we watched a movie of Layla's choice, which was boring. There was no fighting, blood, or swearing, so I changed into my pyjamas pants and tank top near the beginning in preparation of the movie putting me to sleep. Sure enough, my eyelids got heavy before the movie was even a quarter of the way through, and I nodded off.


	26. Midnight Snack

Disclaimer: Anyone or anything that _wasn't_ in the movie is mine, and anyone or anything that _was_ in the movie is not.

Author's Note: I won't be able to update for about a week because of hockey, awards, and the fact that my parents are gone for a few days. That means that I have to stay at my brother's new house, which doesn't have a computer yet. Sorry. I've also decided that I _am_ going to make a new Sky High fic eventually, and I'll invite people to create a character to include in the story sometime later on.

Chapter 26: Midnight Snack

I woke up sometime in the middle of what night there was left, and it took my eyes a few moments to get adjusted. The first thing I noticed was that nobody turned of the X-box I'd brought to play the DVDs, which annoyed me a tiny bit because I don't like it being left on all night. By the looks of it, I wasn't the only one who'd fallen asleep during the movie. From what I could tell in the low amount of light, everybody was sprawled out on a couch or the floor, except Layla and Warren, who were nowhere in sight. I figured Layla would've gone to her own bed after watching that lame movie of hers, but where'd Warren go? The couch I was leaning on shifted and I turned, coming face to face with Warren. I really have to stop confusing him with furniture—first a pillow, and now a couch.

He was still asleep, which was fortunate for me, since I didn't think he'd appreciate my falling asleep on him much. I got up off the couch, turned off my X-box, and tiptoed to the kitchen, wondering if Layla would mind if I raided her fridge. I looked around in the refrigerator and found the leftover pizza, so I grabbed a slice and put it in the microwave for a bit. I know lots of people say that they like cold pizza, but I personally don't; I need my pizza to be warm. Once it was sufficiently heated up, I took my pizza out and peeked back into the living room to make sure the microwave's beeping hadn't woken anyone up.

After that check I went to find somewhere to eat my pizza, because the first floor was creeping me out with all the dark and quietness. I wandered up the stairs to the second, and then poked my head out a window in the hallway to find a convenient first floor roof. I crawled out the window and sat out on the roof in the night air. I must've made some noise when I swore at the windowsill catching the hem of my pyjama pants, because shortly after I'd sat down, Layla climbed out the window and sat down beside me.

"And there I thought I was so stealthy," I muttered to myself.

"What're you doing up?" Layla inquired.

"I'm hungry, and therefore I am eating, which is difficult to do when I talking," I responded, wondering if she'd take the hint.

She didn't.

"So, how're you adjusting to Sky High? You seem to be quite popular," she said, and I began to think she was going somewhere with this.

However, I don't think so well when I'm about to fall asleep, so I couldn't catch her point. I said I was adjusting fine, and that I didn't think I was _quite popular_, unless that meant being the entertainment during gym class. I tried to take a bite out of my pizza, but she continued on with her little interrogation.

"So, see any guys you find…interesting?" she asked, giving me a significant look.

I shifted uneasily at that, replying suspiciously, "No…why? What're you getting at?"

"Oh, nothing," she answered breezily, realizing I was on to her—she's terrible at deception.

Since I obviously wasn't going to get to eat my pizza until it was cold if I remained there, I ditched her, going back through the window and downstairs. I was pretty sure she wouldn't follow me if I went back to the couch, because she seemed the type who was considerate enough to not wake up everyone else asking me questions. My theory was correct; she stayed upstairs and left me alone.

I sat in the dark dining room and finished off my pizza finally, and then I decided to get another slice. So, I heated up a second piece and headed back to the dining room. I had to keep my eyes on the floor to look out for potted plants—which were everywhere—because I'd already stubbed my toe on a few of them. This is why I ran right into Warren, who must've been woken up by the microwave the second time around. I gave a tiny squeak of surprise and stumbled back, tripping over one of those damn potted plants; I think it was a little bush of some kind. Warren grabbed me by the arms and pulled me towards him before I could fall and crack my head on another potted plant.

In the dimness, his face was hidden in shadows, but his eyes caught what little light there was and gleamed dully. He looked like he was on the verge of saying something, but it was hard to tell because his face was dark. We stood like that for a long, awkward moment until I cleared my throat, causing him to snap out of it and release my wrists, which he'd pulled to his chest in to prevent my fall.

"Um, what're you doing up? It's wasn't the microwave, was it?" I asked; I don't like uncomfortable silences.

"I always wake up early," he shrugged, and from what I could tell, he was still staring at me.

"Right," I said, looking down at my feet for a few seconds before I said, "Well, I think I'm going to play video games very quietly now. Wouldn't want to wake everyone up. Do you…know how to play Halo?"

"No," he replied slowly.

He sounded a bit apprehensive, as are all who are asked to play a video game they didn't know how to play with someone who obviously did. His voice also carried the slightest hint of…was it…frustration? Why would he be frustrated?

In an attempt to dispel the irritating silence, I exclaimed cheerfully, "Well, then maybe I've finally found someone I can beat. Unless you have something better to be doing at…" a quick glance at the glowing numbers of the digital clock, "five thirty am?"

He just shrugged again, and I took that as 'Warren speak' for, "Sure, we can play video games, and maybe I'll even let you win."

How was I to know that Warren's a natural at playing video games? So, my search for someone I can actually beat continues. After a while of him winning every round, he began to tease me about how bad I was at the game. I can only take so much of people making fun of my lack of Halo skills, so I punched him in the arm. Everybody says I have a surprising amount of strength, which is probably why I managed to get a cheap shot at Warren's character while he was rubbing his arm ruefully.

I glanced at him sidelong to see if he'd get mad that I'd killed him by cheating, and found him staring at me with that unreadable expression again. He opened his mouth to speak, but Zach picked that exact moment to wake up with a big yawn. His loud yawn woke up Ethan, Magenta, and Will. Whatever Warren wanted to say, he obviously didn't want to say it in front of them, because he snapped his mouth shut instantly. I gave him a curious look before challenging the others to multiplayer Halo. Surely I could beat one of them.

I wouldn't have pinned Ethan for the Halo type, but he was unstoppable. Even Magenta, who had never played the game or anything like it in her life, beat me—if not by much. However, I can beat Zach. And Will. I am victorious! They both could barely tell up from down, so if I'd lost to one of them I would never have lived it down. After a while of video game fun, the doorbell rang. Layla—who must've come down sometime when I was busy hunting down Zach's character—answered the door, then came back to the living room and announced that it was for me.

I looked around the corner into the front hall, and found my dad tapping his foot impatiently at the front door. He wasn't very happy with my skipping of detention, and told me to report to the school immediately for weekend detention.

"There's such a thing as 'weekend detention'?" I asked incredulously.

"Just for you, Evelyn. Now get going, and if I hear that you've skipped detention again…" he left that sentence hanging ominously.

So, I said goodbye to my friends, gathered up my stuff, dropped it off at home, changed into something other than pyjamas, and teleported to the school. Powers was waiting for me in front of the detention room, tapping her foot impatiently just like my dad had been doing a short time ago.

Before she opened the door, I inquired, "I don't have any cell-mates _today_, do I?"

She told me that I was by myself for now, so I entered the room breathing much easier.

"No Lash to bother me today," I told myself, then corrected myself as the door opened again, "Never mind."


	27. An Unexpected Change

Disclaimer: Anyone or anything that _wasn't_ in the movie is mine, and anyone or anything that _was_ in the movie is not.

Author's Note: Ha ha, I forgot that I don't have anything to do during the day because I have no school.So, I can update today, and maybe tomorrow. Silly me.

Chapter 27: An Unexpected Change

"You must be joking," I said flatly as the door shut, assuming a defensive position.

Lash gave me a look of mock surprise, exclaiming, "Fancy seeing you here, Eve. I had no idea that you'd be having detention today as well. How nice; we can keep each other company."

"Bite me," I spat, racking my brain for a slightly less-used retort for the next thing he said.

"Kinky. If that's what you want, I'm game," he answered smoothly, giving me that damn suggestive grin.

Any retort I'd thought of was blown out the window, and I could only shudder in disgust. He started walking towards me; so once again, I started backing up. Unfortunately, I backed up right into a desk and my usual reflex to see what was blocking my path made me take my eyes away from Lash for a moment. He saw that as an opening and lunged forward, grabbing my arm as I tried to escape to the left. Well, that sucked. Normally I could keep up the chase for a lot longer than that. Damn desk.

He leaned in to kiss me again, and then he decided to try getting his hands under my shirt. At that point I was halfway between panicked and pissed off. It seems that my response to both is the same thing; I kneed Lash in the balls. He bent down in pain, and now that I was more pissed than panicked, I decided to knee him in the face.

He was out cold after that. I stood rooted to the spot for a while in shock, but then I snapped out of it and pumped my arm in the air in victory. After that, I did a little victory dance, resisting the urge to kick Lash's prone form a few times for good measure. I was just finishing my little dance when the door hissed open, and the second I heard that all-too-familiar sound I dropped my hands and dove for a desk to avoid unpleasant questions about why I'd been doing some stupid dance.

Powers walked into the room with a baffled look on her face. I suppose it _was_ an odd scene: Lash facedown in the middle of the room, and me upside-down and halfway fallen out of a desk. That's what happens when you dive into a desk; I'm glad I'm not unconscious too. I just tittered hilariously and smiled innocently at Powers, giving a tiny wave in greeting.

All the confusion left her face as sternness replaced it, and she pointed at Lash and questioned, "Why is Lash unconscious?"

"Um, he fell…" I said quite seriously, forcing down the impulse to laugh insanely again.

She gave me an unimpressed look, saying, "Seriously, Miss Grey. Why is he unconscious? And why are you upside down?"

"Seriously. He fell. And me…I fell too," I replied, still managing to keep my straight face.

She couldn't disprove me, so she could only look to the heavens and mouth, "Why me?" as she picked the unconscious Lash up with her 'comet strength' and stalked back outside.

As she left, I heard her say to someone, "Mr. Peace, get in there. Honestly, like you kids don't have anything better to do than come to school on the weekends and destroy school property."

Warren sauntered into the detention room just before the door shut, raising an eyebrow at my position. I looked up at him from the floor, and then let all the hysterical laughter that I'd been holding in. He looked at me like he would an insane person for a stunned second before offering me a hand up. I took the proffered arm and got back on my feet, rubbing the back of my neck and hoping that I hadn't given myself whiplash attempting to desk-dive.

"What happened to you?" he asked curiously.

"I dove into a desk," I replied, still giggling about the hilarity of the whole situation.

He furrowed his brow for a moment—probably trying to figure out why that was funny—then asked, "Okay…what happened to Lash then?"

"He fell," I responded automatically, and then elaborated when he raised another eyebrow in dubious scepticism, "Well, I helped him fall. With a knee to the face, and a knee to where 'the sun don't shine' before that, so to speak."

"Ouch," Warren commented, a pained expression painting his face.

"He deserved it," I defended, "He tried to get his filthy hands under my shirt."

"He _what_?" Warren said, his voice dangerously low.

"I've already taken care of it, remember?" I told him, realizing that if we weren't in a power-neutralizing room, he would probably be on fire right about then.

He was glaring daggers at the door, so I changed the subject hastily with the remark, "What're you doing here? It seems to me that a _floating school_ is a bit out of the way for you. Seeing as how you can't fly and all. How'd you get here anyway?"

He switched from furious to sheepish in the blink of an eye. I didn't think that Warren _could_ look sheepish, but there was no other word that I could think of to describe the expression on his face.

"I got Stronghold to fly me here. Felt like blowing up some lockers," he shrugged.

"You know, Warren, I never realized that you were _such_ a terrible liar. Seriously," I said, very close to laughing again.

"I heard that you'd be in detention today, and I know Lash is the kind of guy to somehow get detention on a weekend just to get what he wants. Plus, I thought it would be a good time to talk to you, if he wasn't here," he replied.

He fixed me with that unreadable look, and my urge to laugh died instantly. I think that deep down inside, I knew what that look was, but I haven't acknowledged what I feel deep down inside for a long time because I choose to ignore it. It's caused me too much trouble before, but this time I needed to know, so I listened. A long time went by as he continued to stare into my eyes, and then he opened his mouth to speak. I knew what he was going to say, because I knew what that look was now. And it wasn't one that I could cope with.

My lips moved of their own accord, saying one pleading word, "Don't."

"Why not?" he challenged, obviously frustrated.

"Because I can't…I don't know how…how to…Goddamnit Warren! You can't just give me no hint of this and then expect me to…I'm not the kind of person who…" he'd reduced me to frantically stammering; I was freaking out.

How many people are confused at this point? Welcome to the club.

"How did I not give you any hint? A blind person could've noticed, you just don't know what to look for. That's because this has never happened to you, probably because of your mother's rep. The same thing happened to me," he pressed, taking a step forward.

In turn, I took a step backwards and shot back angrily, "Ha, you got over _that_ remarkably fast, didn't you? You've only known me for a _week_! You can't…it doesn't make sense…"

"It _does_ make sense, Eve. You just have to think about it. Lash fell for you the first day, the first _sight_ even. You may think that you're unwanted because of how your life's been, but that's far from true," he told me.

I covered my ears and shut my eyes, muttering to myself, "This is not happening. Accusations, rejection, even hostility I can take, but this…"

Warren took my hands off my ears and my eyes snapped open. I looked up at him, mentally smacking myself in the forehead for being so stupid as to close my eyes and give him a chance to get close. I tried to back away, but his grip on my hands tightened; not painfully, but enough to prevent my escape.

"Warren, unless you want me to do the same to you as I did to Lash, I suggest you let me go," I said quietly, attempting to put my shields back up after my small breakdown.

He let go reluctantly, and the door opened just as he released me. 'Awesome timing, Powers,' was all I could think as I dashed out of the room. I think that Warren tried to follow me, but I teleported away as soon as I was in the hall. The last thing I heard before I was gone was him calling my name.


	28. Pretending

Disclaimer: Anyone or anything that _wasn't_ in the movie is mine, and anyone or anything that _was_ in the movie is not.

Author's Note: Things are about to get very interesting, I think.

Chapter 28: Pretending

I teleported into my room and jumped on my bed immediately, smothering my face in a pillow to muffle my frustrated shriek. I should've checked the door before doing that, because Beck poked her head into the room wondering if I was being murdered.

"Eevee, what's going on? I thought someone was smothering you in your bed!" she exclaimed.

I looked up from the pillow slowly, mumbling something that sounded like, "N'murder. G'way."

She gave me a quizzical look, inquiring, "Was that even English?"

"No, it was get-the-hell-out-of-my-room-ish," I replied, putting my head back down.

"This is about a guy, isn't it? I've never seen you act depressed before, and since you've never had a _guy_ before, this must be the reason," she declared excitedly.

I threw the pillow at her head in an attempt to make her leave, but she caught it and sat down at the edge of my bed. She just can't take a hint.

"So…spill, Eevee. Was it Warren or Lash?" she questioned.

I gave her glance that was a mix of confusion and disgust, demanding, "Did _everyone_ know about this but me! Why the hell didn't you _tell_ me! Thought I'd like this sprung on me out of the blue! Get the hell out of my room! Leave me alone, goddamnit!"

"It was _Warren_ then, wasn't it?" she mused thoughtfully, and then told me, "He is one _fine_ looking guy Eevee, even if he's a bit anti-social. Only person to ever go out with him was that freeze-girl, and that didn't last too long at all. You should give him a shot."

"That's it," I yelled, grabbing Beck's arm and teleporting her out onto the sidewalk in front of the house before teleporting myself back to my room.

After that she decided to leave me alone, she was probably afraid that I'd teleport her into oncoming traffic next time. So, I had a good long time to smack myself in the forehead for not seeing this coming, and to try to think of a plan for what would most likely happen on Monday at school. I came up with nothing, except that there was safety in numbers.

Kyle appeared at my door and leaned on the frame, saying impatiently, "Are you done?"

"Not you too," I groaned.

He gave me a confused look, and asked, "What're you talking about? We have to go to work."

"Oh, that sucks," I said lamely, "Gimme a minute."

I got up and got ready to go; brushing my hair and washing my face, etc. 'Man, Warren must've been head-over-heels to talk like that when I look this terrible,' I thought. I shook my head furiously, not believing that I'd just thought that. I know from personal experience that people always have ulterior motives when they say they love you. My mother taught me that. I applied some eyeliner, put on an off-the-shoulder navy blue long-sleeve shirt over-top a black wife-beater tank top, and put on some baggy khaki cargo pants. Then I grabbed my hat and teleported to the back door of the club and walked inside.

It wasn't open yet, but staff had to be there early, of course, even the entertainment. I found the rest of the band by the stage, as usual. They had their back to me and were busy talking to someone that I couldn't see. I was about to say hello when Luke shifted a bit, and I saw that they were talking to Warren. I did not want to see him right now, but I especially didn't want him to see me.

I felt like a filmy, transparent cobweb had settled into my skin, and I would've sighed in relief if it wouldn't have attracted the attention I was trying to avoid. I was invisible. Maybe that was the trick; I had to desperately need to be undetected. I crept closer to hear what they were saying, but whatever the conversation was about, it was already over. Warren glanced around the room quickly—maybe looking for me—and then left. A minute later, I managed to make myself visible.

"Do you think Jake would let us play any Godsmack or Disturbed?" I asked the group nonchalantly as I walked up, deciding that it would be better if I just ignored the whole 'Warren problem' entirely.

"No," Jake answered curtly, coming out from his back office.

"Please," I pleaded, pouting and trying to look sad and pathetic.

"Still, no. You guys don't all know the song, and it's too late to be learning it today. Maybe next time," he relented.

I turned around and saw that everyone in the band was looking at me. I pretended to not see that and hopped onto the stage, grabbing my guitar and checking to make sure it was in tune.

"So…how has your day been, Eve? Anything _interesting_ happen?" Colin asked not-so-subtly.

"I just had detention. Hey, maybe we could use Lash for back-up vocals in the band. After today, he'll be singing an octave or two higher," I breezily replied.

Well, Colin fell for my diversion, but the others, who were somewhat brighter than the light-bulb, ironically—remember, Colin controls electricity—didn't look like they bought my evasion. They were smart enough not to push the subject, however, and said nothing.

"You didn't _castrate_ him, did you? Ouch, just _ouch_! I'm not sure even Lash deserves _that_," Colin remarked, wincing like he could feel the pain.

I told him that I hadn't castrated Lash, but that he might be sitting on an icepack for the next couple of days. The other guys winced too, in spite of themselves. I suggested that we get started, because it was almost time to open the doors. We all got to our places and picked up our instruments, and pretty soon the place was busy. Once again, Layla and the rest of the group showed up, but Warren wasn't with them. I felt relieved that he wasn't there, but I also felt…a bit sad. Why would I be sad? I dismissed it as being a side effect of having Warren's personality in my head. Lash also didn't make an appearance, which made me vaguely wonder if he was still unconscious, or if he was having some delicate surgery.

I got through the evening and went home, not wanting to talk to the guys because I was beginning to think they were conspiring with Warren. 'Great,' I thought, 'Now I'm paranoid.'

I just wanted to sleep, so I teleported home the moment the club closed. I almost walked right into my dad as I trudged towards my room. I started to go around him, but he put out an arm to stop me.

I sighed, "Look, if this is about knocking that guy unconscious, I swear, he fell."

I looked up at my dad, who seemed distressed, and realized that this wasn't about Lash. And since there was no way he could know about Warren, I had no idea what it was.

"Listen, Eevee…how do I say this? Your mother…she's demanding her parental rights or something like that. She wants a visitation by you. Kyle and Beck too, but I think it's mainly about you," he told me, not looking me in the eyes.

"I'm not going," I announced determinedly.

"I tried to get you out of it, but I couldn't. I'll be taking you to the jail tomorrow. You won't be there long, don't worry," he replied with a resigned shrug.

Before I could protest further, he continued walking. I stared at his retreating back indignantly, not believing what I'd heard. Not only had my relationship with Warren changing so dramatically that I was avoiding him, I had to go visit that witch. She must've heard that I'd gotten my powers, and would once again ask me to join her and get her out of jail. This was the worst day in my life.

By then I was ready to collapse onto my bed and die. I just wanted the day to end, even though the next day wasn't looking to be much better. I put on some pyjama pants and a tank top, and then got into bed. Unfortunately, my normal sleeping habit was back because I hadn't used my power-stealing power all day. I lay awake for a couple of hours, trying not to think about my mother, or Warren, and failing miserably. At about three o'clock in the morning, I finally dozed off. The nightmares I had weren't any better than being awake, and they even came complete with background music: Guarded by Disturbed.

_Guarding yourself from the love of another  
Left you with nothing tonight.  
Why does it sound like the devil is laughing?  
Leaving me haunted tonight.  
You did decide…_


	29. Visitation

Disclaimer: Anyone or anything that _wasn't_ in the movie is mine, and anyone or anything that _was_ in the movie is not.

Author's Note: I may be getting over my writer's block. But then again, I could just be writing terribly now, which isn't any better than not being able to think of anything to write at all.

Chapter 29: Visitation

I woke up the next morning, and for a few moments I felt fine. However, then I remembered all the stuff that had happened on Saturday, and my bad mood set in again. I forced myself out of bed and went looking for something to wear. I ended up looking at the clothes that I'd stolen from Warren. I guessed that the bad mood I was in had switched me to Warren's personality, which didn't help matters if I was trying to ignore him. I turned away from his clothes and instead chose a long-sleeved fitted black shirt and dark blue hip-hugger jeans. I pulled on some black shoes and put on my necklace.

I went downstairs to the kitchen and saw that my siblings felt about the same as I did about having to visit our mother. Beck hadn't bothered with looking nice today; she was wearing grey sweatpants and a loose-fitting blue t-shirt. Kyle looked the same as he always does, but he looked more unhappy than laid-back. My dad was trying to keep the morale up by serving waffles and such, but an early Christmas couldn't have cheered up our household in this instance. Acknowledging our mother's existence is not something we like to do often; she gave my siblings and I a terrible childhood.

I couldn't even taste my breakfast, but I ate it as slowly as possible to delay the inevitable visit to the jailhouse. All to soon, we were bundled into the car and driven to the very place I least wanted to be. The car pulled up in front of a huge grey brick building, which could be a normal penitentiary. This jail, though, was made for super-villains, which included my mom. Inside were rooms very similar to the detention room, because all the cells neutralized powers. Even the rooms for visitors were power neutralizing, because they didn't want a villain's super-powered friend breaking them out. Whenever the prisoners where outside, they had a power-neutralizing bracelet fastened to their wrists, specifically tailored to their individual DNA composition. Very high-tech.

We walked into the jail and promptly shown to one of the private visitation rooms. There we waited in the white room—it felt too much like the detention room for me—for the guards to bring our criminal parent. I turned on the mp3 player I'd brought with me, put on my headphones, and began listening to some Godsmack, the ideal band for my disposition at the time. I'd only gotten through one song when the guards ushered my mom into the room, but I kept my headphones on, turning up the volume so that I wouldn't have to hear her voice. I could still see her though; the reason I hated how I looked. She has the same colour of hair as I had before it changed, and the same eyes. She looks just like me, basically, only older.

Unfortunately, my dad pulled the headphones off, whispering something about being disrespectful. Ha, me being disrespectful. She's a super-villain; you can't get much more disrespectful than that. Respect is given where respect is earned, I say. Still, I shut off my music.

My mom asked to see each of us individually, because she wanted to talk to each member of her family personally. She wanted to see Beck first, so Kyle, Dad, and I went out into the hall. Whatever words were exchanged, that session was over very quickly when Beck stalked out of the room angrily. Next up was Kyle, and his little chat last a bit longer than Beck's, since he's slower to anger. Nonetheless, he too came out of the room scowling. After him, it was my father's turn. His talk lasted the longest, but when he left he was close to tears. I didn't ask them to tell me what she'd said to them, because it would only upset them, and I wasn't sure that I wanted to know.

It was my turn, and I reluctantly left my mp3 player in the hall, went through the door, and sat down across from my mom at the metal table. I looked up slowly and saw her beaming at me.

"I haven't seen you in such a long time, Eevee. You've grown up a lot. You look just like me, but what have you done with your hair? It looks nice on you. So, how're things going?" she asked, acting like she was honestly happy to see me.

"I'm fine," I answered bluntly.

"So, I hear that you're in Sky High. And you've finally gotten your powers. I'm so happy for you. Are you having fun at school? Getting control of your powers?" she continued her questioning, still using that obviously faked, sugary sweet voice.

I gave a short laugh, replying vehemently, "Getting right to the point, are you? I'll save you the trouble of asking. My answer hasn't changed. I'm not helping you, and I still think you can rot in your cell for eternity. It's what you deserve."

Her smile faded away, replaced with a snarl, and she spat, "Fine, _don't _help me. Ungrateful wench, I gave you _life_! And this is how you repay me? None of my children will help me, which just proves how _weak_ and _pathetic_ you all are! If you won't aid my cause _voluntarily_, there are _other_ ways at my disposal now."

She lunged over the table, taking me by surprise as she scratched me across my face with her long nails. I slid backwards in my chair, trying to get away from her and swearing at the top of my lungs. The guards outside heard the commotion and ran in, pulling her away from me hastily. She wasn't resisting; in fact, she was _laughing_. I didn't take that too well; I have a short fuse.

"You crazy bitch! You crazy, hypocritical bitch! You never thought about what it might do to your kids when you decided to go on a crime spree! Never! Not once! And now you're calling me _ungrateful_! Yeah, I'm ungrateful. I'm _ungrateful_ for the life of misery you condemned me to! You're going to burn in hell, and I'll be laughing! Hear that, bitch, I'll be laughing my _fucking_ head off!" I yelled at her furiously.

Now the guards had to restrain me, because I was trying to climb over the table and strangle her. She was standing there cleaning the blood off her nails with a tissue like she didn't have a care in the world. I was dragged kicking and screaming out of the room by the guards, still trying to get at her and rip her throat out. Do you see why I stopped visiting her? The last thing I saw before she went out of sight behind the doorframe was her carefully folding the tissue with my blood on it and tucking it into her pocket.

The door to the visiting room shut, and Kyle grabbed my by the shoulders and shook me, shouting at me to be heard above my ranting, "Eevee! Calm down! Listen to me! Don't let her get to you like this! She's not worth it!"

I stopped yelling and tried to take deep breaths, knowing he was right. What would I do without Kyle to stop me from doing stupid things? When I'd calmed down enough and stopped resisting, the guards figured it was safe to let go of my arms. I licked my lips and tasted blood. Those scratches she gave me were surprisingly deep; blood was trickling down my face. I wiped my face and neck quickly with a piece of paper towel that Beck had just given me, not wanting to get blood on my shirt.

I smoothed out my rumpled clothes calmly, remarking, "I feel much better now."

The guards stared at me like I was insane, but I suppose they had every right to after how I'd acted in there. Also, I had blood smeared all over my face and was acting so nonchalant. I really have to control my temper more than that. However, I really did feel better. I felt like a heavy weight had been taken off my shoulders. I smiled one of my rare true smiles, which probably just enforced the guards' suspicions that I was insane.

"I think we should get going, I have stuff to do, you know," I said, glancing briefly at the guards, who all stepped back.

So, after I'd cleaned my face up in the washroom we got in the car and drove home, and during the ride I finally noticed how weird it was that she'd saved that tissue. I just assumed that she'd snapped after all the years in that white room; I almost snapped from my short time in the detention room.

When we got home I kept myself busy for a while playing video games with Kyle, talking with my few friends from back home on msn, and making apple crisp. It's the only thing I can cook, but I cook it well. I spent most of the day getting my sugar fix and listening to loud music. I decided to clean up my room, so I was jumping around in there for a while picking up clothes and listening to Trapt, singing along. At least I can sing well; if I couldn't, I doubt my family would've put up with me during times like these. This is how I act when I'm hyped up on sugar.

I got the sheet music off the internet for a few songs by Trapt, as well as a few from Disturbed, who's new cd, Ten Thousand Fists, I was listening to at the time. When it was time to go to the club and get set up, I took the music with me and gave it to the other guys in the band, telling them that they'd better be quick learners. Fortunately, they were.

The crowd particularly enjoyed the song, Disconnected by Trapt. I had them jumping up and down in time with the beat; it was fun. Layla and the rest of the group were there, Warren too, but I didn't let that ruin my evening. I teleported home when the club closed. I may not let Warren ruin my evening by being there, but I wasn't going to give him a chance to catch me alone and try to talk to me. I had to sort some things out before I could talk to him again. I played Prince of Persia: Warrior Within for a while when I got home, until Kyle talked me into playing Halo 2 again. After losing, badly, I retired to bed and lay there for a long while thinking about how I'd managed to turn that day around. Of course, now I'd probably get stuck back in anger management classes again. Damn.


	30. Evasion

Disclaimer: Anyone or anything that _wasn't_ in the movie is mine, and anyone or anything that _was_ in the movie is not.

Author's Note: Well, the writer's block is not gone, sadly. I've been busy the last couple of days, with hockey and a staff meeting, in which my boss told me that some people think I have an attitude problem. They don't like my "dry sense of humor", or something like that. Oh well. So, I wrote an extra long chapter over the past couple of days whenever I had time. Sorry if it sucks.Anyway, I won't be able to update tomorrow because I have to work (and I will try to act like the best employee ever; I won't play my music too loud, read books when I should be paying attention, etc.) but I'll try to get a new chapter on Saturday. As for the new story I'll be writing sometime, I'll post the casting call for characters in a bit after I've finished creating all my main characters and drawing them formy visual reference.

Chapter 30: Evasion

I was jolted into consciousness when Kyle grabbed me by the arm and dragged me out of bed, phasing me through the covers. I stared at him dully for a few seconds from my new position on the ground before getting up slowly.

"Now, was that really necessary?" I inquired, rolling my left shoulder to make sure that there was no damage from being dropped on the floor.

"I tried to get you up. You mumbled something that sounded like, 'G'way, it's not even 30:30 yet.' Didn't make much sense, and then you rolled over and went back to sleep," Kyle told me.

"Damn, that's not even military time," I said blankly, still not awake enough to really care, "I'm awake now, you can go."

He left with one last suspicious look—honestly, did he really think that I could stand and talk coherently and still be asleep—and I went to my closet to pick something to wear. Not looking to see what I was picking, I pulled out a pair of baggy black cargo pants, a long-sleeved dark blue shirt, and a short-sleeved white t-shirt that said 'I can only make one person happy each day…I pick me' in bright blue letters. I put the white shirt on over-top the dark blue one; in case anyone hasn't noticed, I like to layer my shirts. I pulled on some black shoes, put on my necklace, and grabbed my hat before heading down to the kitchen.

When I looked for some breakfast I found some big double chocolate muffins, which are a personal favourite of mine. I snatched one up for breakfast, and then I went to the bus stop early to avoid Beck's prodding about the Warren issue. As I sat there waiting for the bus and eating a muffin, I thought of something that made me smack myself in the forehead. That's how stupid I'd been; I didn't just mentally smack my forehead, this deserved an actual smack in the forehead. Why bother sitting on the bus and having to talk to people—like Warren, or even his friends, who must know about this—when I could just teleport to the school. How stupid of me.

So, I teleported to the school and finished my muffin sitting under a tree out front. Not many people were there so early, so I was able to have some peace and quiet before the buses started arriving. Of course, my idea of peace and quiet is playing loud music, hearing nothing but the music, and being left alone. I was still listening to some Godsmack with the volume on my mp3 player turned way up when I spotted Warren striding in my direction from a recently parked bus. My heart skipped a beat in surprise, and I teleported to my locker immediately, acting like I had a sudden desire to go get my books. I forgot that my locker is very close to Warren's, and therefore had to hurry to class when he went to get his books.

He sat at the other end of the class in Mad Science, so I had some respite from watching my back and acting totally oblivious for a while. For once, we weren't making some kind of ray or beam. We were studying the effects of different irradiated minerals on humans, which was kind of fun. I discovered that I'm impervious to most kinds of radioactive rock, even if the same couldn't be said for the people. Some fluorescent green stone knocked me out cold, as well as Kyle and some other kid. When I was revived a minute or so later, Medulla told us that that particular irradiated stone renders teleporters and portal makers unconscious. That sucks, let's hope that Lash was too busy goofing off in the back row to remember that bit of information.

When Mad Science was over, I teleported to my locker to pick up and drop off books before teleporting to my next class. I sat down in my seat, and then realized that I sat right next to Warren. 'Damn, I just can't win,' I thought. I kept my cool and limited myself to only banging my head on the desk in frustration a few times. Warren got to class and sat down across the row from me as I put on my headphones, turned the volume way up, and shoved my nose hastily into a random book pulled out of my bag.

"Why are you reading the book upside down?" I heard Warren ask before the music came on, temporarily deafening me.

I glanced at him fleetingly as I quickly turned my book right side up, seeing the corners of his mouth quirk upwards in something close to an amused smile. Then I buried my face in the book immediately, wondering who'd put a Redwall book in my bag. Murmuring the words to Shout 2000 under my breath, I pretended that I didn't see Warren, who was trying to get my attention. I couldn't hear him due to Disturbed playing full blast on my mp3 player, but out of the corner of my eye I could see him. He reached for the headphone closest to him, and got a small electrical shock when he tried to pull it off. I really was ignoring him then, having been drawn into the Redwall book—what can I say; I find mice with swords entertaining.

The class started and I ignored the teacher too, since they were lecturing about the importance of choosing the right colours for a superhero costume. Not the most interesting topic, in my opinion.

Eventually, that dull class ended and it was time for lunch. Well, I left for lunch about fifteen minutes early, but that's because I had to go to an A&W, order, wait for my food, and then get back the cafeteria in time to nab a spot in the middle of my group. I figured that if I had a bunch of people around me at all times, Warren wouldn't try to have a talk with me again. I am not good with communication, especially about _that_. I succeeded in getting a spot between Zach and Ethan, and proceeded to act like it was just another normal day.

Lunch went painfully slow, but it finally came to an end before I had to smack the life out of Zach for stealing all my French fries. When I got to the gym I was confronted with a strange sight. Two opposing walls were flat on the ground, extending the length of the gym floor by a lot. I used my super-speed to run to the far edge and confirm my suspicions that the wall was, in fact, extending out off the edge of the school. It could be a long way down for anyone who tripped in class today. Giving the floor one last curious look, I went to get changed into my gym clothes.

When I came back out, several students were standing around in their gym clothes talking about the floor, which had somehow sprouted artificial turf when I'd been in the change room. I'm no expert, but judging from the white lines on the grass and the goalposts at either end of the floor, I was guessing this had something to do with football. I was right.

"Alright, listen up," Boomer yelled, drawing everyone's attention, "We'll be taking a small break from Save The Citizen for a while, because the school board feels we should have you playing normal sports as part of the curriculum. You know, soccer, football, swimming, and all those other ones. So, today we'll be playing football. We'll be swimming this week too, so everyone bring a swimsuit tomorrow. No bikinis or stuff like that, and _no_ speedos."

Pretty much everyone groaned audibly, but Boomer continued, "I realize that normal sports aren't as interesting as Save The Citizen, so I've decided to spice things up a bit," pause for dramatic effect, "Power sports. You can use your powers for half the class, but the second half is strictly power-less. If you have more than one power though, you can only use one at a time in football. And no teleporting for touchdowns. I'll split you into teams, and then we'll play. Girls have to at least _try_ playing before they can whine about not wanting to break a nail. Anyone who _doesn't_ play will be a _cheerleader_. The best players will be selected to join our school football team for extra credit."

I have never played football in my life, so I had no idea what I was supposed to do. Boomer split us into two teams and told us to sort out our positions by ourselves in the group. Will, who was declared team captain—he was the only one who volunteered for the job—asked first off, who had super-strength or super-speed. Larry—rock-monster guy—was the only one besides Stronghold and me who had anything close to super-strength, and Will put him on some position for hitting people, or something like that. I might've been put on that too, but since Speed was on the other team, I was the only one with super-speed, and Will made me a running-back. I assumed that I was supposed to run somewhere…maybe I was the one that was supposed to get touchdowns.

When everyone on our team was sorted out and everyone had changed into football gear, I asked Will, "What exactly does a running-back do?"

"Have you ever seen that movie, The Longest Yard? The one with Adam Sandler?" he inquired.

I nodded.

"Well, you're basically like Megget. Remember him? It's pretty simple. The quarterback, Brent, passes you the ball, and you run to the other end and get a touchdown. You stand right there when we start," he explained, pointing to a spot off to the side of where everyone was lining up.

"Wait a second," I said, thinking of a flaw in that idea, "Isn't the running-back the one that gets tackled the shit out of! From what little I've seen when my dad watches the game, the one that gets the touchdowns takes a long time to get from point A to point B because they keep getting tackled along the way! Megget got his knee busted in the end!"

"That's why you have super-speed," Will told me, rolling his eyes as he went to line up.

I went to my spot at the end of the line reluctantly, not being able to shake the feeling that I was going to get tackled. However, if I had to pick a position, I'd probably have chosen this one for no other reason than that Megget was my favourite character in that movie. I never said I was the most logical person, did I? The other team kicked the ball, and Layla, of all people, caught it. She tossed it me, and for a moment I stood there, unsure of what to do. That is, until Kyle yelled at me to get moving. I dodged a ball of ice and put my feet in motion; dodging another ice ball and an attempted speed-tackle made by Speed before reaching the other end of the field, where I almost fell of the edge of the school before I could stop myself.

I looked at the others on my team expectantly, calling to them, "Was that a touchdown? Well? Was it?"

That sparked a cheer, because it was a touchdown. Ha, I rock. As expected, the other team used Speed for their running-back, but I'd been switched to another position for defence and tripped him up as he sped by. However, his momentum caused him to fly all the way to the end zone. Oh well. So, the game was fairly back and forth, because it was rare that anything stopped either of us speedsters, except for that time that Warren, who was placed on the other team, stopped me in my tracks with a well-placed fireball. I glared at him for a few seconds as I iced off my jersey before it could become more than singed. He grinned back, and I couldn't think of anything to do but start ignoring him again.

Things got interesting about halfway through the class, when everyone's powers suddenly stopped working mid-play. It was like we were all in a giant, open-air detention. Apparently, the gym is equipped with some kind of device that neutralizes powers. This power negating came at a bad time, as I was in possession of the ball. The other team was stunned for only a moment before they saw their chance to take me out. This was the problem. I took off, running for my life. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Speed coming at me from the right side, and decided to pull a Megget move. I pivoted on my heel and nimbly dodged that idiot before taking off again. Some guy tried to slide-tackle me, so I jumped over him like a hurdle. I managed to get to the other end unharmed, though I thought my heart might burst through my rib cage from such a scare. Thank _God _I'd watched that movie.

"Damn, I've got some _skills_," I said to myself.

The team swarmed up to congratulate me; it's no big feat to get from one end to the other with super-speed, but to do it without is a lot harder. Yeah, I rock. So, that's how the game went: me looking good while just trying to get out of there with my life, and the other team picking a new running-back. My team won. Yay! Well, that was a weird football moment.

After gym class, Boomer stopped me before I could get to my locker, questioning, "Are you going to be joining the football team this year?"

"Ha! No, I don't want to die," I replied, thinking he was crazy for even asking.

"Well, like I said, you get extra credits. And since you're failing both your Hero History and Hero Education classes, I think you could use the extra credits," he told me.

"So that's what that class is called," I mused, then clued in, "Wait a second, failing? We haven't even had an assignment! How can I be failing?" I demanded.

"That might be the problem; you have to pay attention to class to know when the teacher writes an assignment on the board," Boomer said.

"Isn't there a _hockey_ team I could join to get extra credit?" I pleaded.

Hey, I may get hit a lot in hockey, but I have more padding. Besides, I'm actually good at hockey; it's the one exception to my 'no team sports' rule. He told me that hockey doesn't start for a while, and asked again if I wanted to join the football team. That's coercion, I swear. And there goes my 'no team sports' rule.

"What the hell, why not? Save The Citizen could kill me too, but I still play that," I replied with a resigned sigh.

"Speaking of which," he said, "Want to join the Save The Citizen team too? The credits would make up for both your failed classes."

I rolled my eyes and told him to sign me up for whatever bloody team he felt like and headed off to Hero History class, which I still slept through. If I had to sign up for team sports without skates—shudder—then I was not going to bother with that stupid class. I made it through the day without doing a single thing to land me in detention, and for once, Lash didn't do anything to get me in detention either. So, I got home without incidence. The club wasn't open on weeknights; just after school 'til eight o'clock, and I didn't have to play the guitar or sing. It was just open so that students could chill, play pool, whatever.

The problem with summer vacation is that I never exercise because there's no gym class or hockey to make me. I'm not a lazy slacker or something like that, but I can only run for my life so long before I get tired. I passed that limit long ago. I lay on the couch and ate cheddar goldfish crackers, watching The Longest Yard and trying to figure out how football worked. You would think that the teacher would at least warn me that I had homework, instead of letting me fail the class in the first week and have to play football. Had I really _agreed_ to that?

After I'd watched the movie and came up with nothing except what I already knew—run like crazy when you have the ball to avoid being squashed—I went to sleep early. Take it one week at a time. One day gone, only four left.


	31. Power Swimming

Disclaimer: Anyone or anything that _wasn't_ in the movie is mine, and anyone or anything that _was_ in the movie is not.

Author's Note: Thelow amountof reviews for my last chapter was very...disheartening. If you don't like a chapter, you should review and tell me why. Anyway, here's the next chapter.

Chapter 31: The Power Sport Of Swimming

I was woken up the next day when Beck pulled open my curtains and let a big blast of sunlight shine through, blinding me.

"Agh! The sun! It burns the eyes!" I yelled as I tumbled out of bed trying to save my eyes.

"Time to wake up," Beck recited in a bored tone; my siblings don't really appreciate having to share the duty of waking me up in the morning.

I lay there on the floor with my hands covering my face for a bit, and then I crawled over to the window and shut the curtains again. I got up and stumbled to my closet. I pulled out a plain black tank top and some khaki Capri pants, pulling a navy zippered sweater on after I'd gotten dressed. I looked around in my drawers until I found some black socks and put on some red sneakers, just for a change. I put on my necklace and pulled my hair back into a ponytail, finishing off with putting on my black Oakley hat. I glanced at my reflection in the mirror and grimaced at the dark red lines streaking diagonally across my face. I'd been hoping those scratches would get less visible, not more.

I went downstairs and pulled up a chair at the kitchen table as Kyle and Beck left, since my plan of the day was to wait until the last minute and then teleport to school. I ate my chocolate muffin and wrapped up another chocolate muffin to have for lunch. I still had time, so I played some True Crimes on the X-box before I grabbed my bag and teleported to school.

The bell rang the second I got there, so I had to run to my locker and phase my books out because I didn't have to time to open the lock. Then I had to run to Mad Science, and I jammed my textbook in the doorway to stop Medulla from closing it on me. He let me in, though he was not pleased. We were learning how to defuse bombs, and several kids got singed when their bomb detonated. Some kids managed to somehow make their bomb more explosive, so when it went off, they had to go to the nurse's office with first-degree burns on their faces. I was one of the lucky ones who were partnered with a nerd, so I didn't get blown up at all. Warren and Will weren't so lucky; their bomb detonated, causing their whole front side to get covered in black soot. Kyle and his partner were one of the groups that had made the explosion worse, but Kyle—being the smart guy that he is—went into phase mode just before detonation and avoided a trip to the nurse's office.

In 'Hero Education' class, I actually paid attention to the teacher—it almost drove me crazy, oh wait, I already _am_ crazy—and sure enough, the teacher _did_ put an assignment on the board. Well, no wonder I'm failing. Of course, I didn't plan on doing the assignment; I just wanted to see if Boomer was telling the truth about it.

When that ridiculous class ended, I got to the cafeteria before the rest of my group and sat down at the usual table, taking my muffin out of my messenger bag. I had my back to the entrance, so I got shocked big time when Lash snuck up behind me and grabbed me by the waist. I phased through the bench in surprise and landed on the floor, glaring up at Lash as he smirked down at me. I got up hastily and was about to hurt him when a fireball came from out of nowhere and struck him in the arm. I whipped around to locate the source of the fireball, though I already knew what it was.

Warren was standing near the doors looking extremely pissed, his arms flaming. I looked back at Lash, who was frantically batting at his sleeve, which was on fire. I figured I'd let them duke it out on their own, since I really didn't want to talk to either, and I _especially_ didn't want to break up a fight over _me_. Grabbing my bag and my muffin from their place on the table, I teleported back to my house. My dad wasn't there; he was rarely at my house, except in the mornings.

The nerve of them, fighting over me like I was some kind of trophy! Lash was such an idiot; I really despised him and he wouldn't give up! And Warren! With a shriek of frustration, I punched the closest solid object; accidentally leaving a big hole in the living room wall. I surveyed the damage after I'd calmed down, and winced as I could just hear the yelling-at I'd get already. As soon as I'd finished my lunch, I went back to school and began roaming the halls, looking for someone with the power to fix broken walls. I hadn't found anyone before I had to go to gym class, so I gave up for the time being. I walked through the gym doors, still preoccupied thinking of a way to fix the hole in my living room wall.

Someone pulled me backwards after I'd gotten a few feet into the gym and I snapped back into reality, ready to inflict pain on whoever had done that. That was when I noticed that I'd almost walked right into a pool, which was replacing the gym floor. I turned around to thank my saviour and came face-to-face with Warren, who was looking very serious. Drat. He was wearing black swim trunks with flames—no, not real flames—streaking up the sides.

My instant reaction was to back away, which consequentially put me in the pool. I windmilled on the edge and teleported to safety before I hit the water, and then I teleported back to my house immediately to get my swimsuit, since I'd forgotten it. I stood in my room for a second, clutching my chest and trying to slow my breathing. I had to stop letting Warren surprise me. I grabbed my swimsuit from the closet and teleported to the girls changing room.

When I came back out to the pool's edge I was wearing my black one-piece swimsuit. Most of the class still wasn't there, so I had to stand around and wait as I froze my ass off. This is one of the reasons I don't like swimming: you just can't stay warm in a bathing suit. I was considering pissing myself off on purpose so that I could use Warren's fire-power to heat myself up, when someone came up behind me and grabbed my arm, doing to work for me. I turned around, my hands lighting up as I looked to see who was about to be burnt.

Once again I found myself facing Warren, who still had a grip on my arm, preventing escape. The flames on my hands died in shock and fear.

"I didn't get a chance to talk you yesterday, Eve. I wonder why," he said sarcastically, attempting to bore a hole through my head with the sheer intensity of his gaze, as he demanded, "Where did you get those cuts all over your face?"

"It doesn't matter. Let me go," I replied through gritted teeth, trying to pry my left arm free of his tightening hold.

"It _does_ matter, and I want to know. Who tried to hurt you? If they're still alive, I'll—" he persisted.

"That's it," I shouted angrily, cutting him off mid-sentence.

I twisted around, stuck out my left leg, grabbed his arm, and flipped him over into the pool smoothly. He surfaced, his slicked-down hair covering his eyes until he shook his head furiously. He glared at me as he treaded water, and his arms probably would've been on fire if it weren't for the fact that he was completely drenched. Even though I was absolutely livid, I started laughing at him in spite of myself. Warren swam to the edge and pulled himself out of the pool, steam rising off him as he advanced.

I squeaked and darted away to hide behind Will and Layla, certain Warren was going to fry me the second he could light up again. Before he had a chance, Boomer showed up and the class started.

Boomer blew his whistle to get our attention, and then announced, "Today you're going to be swimming. Once again, you'll be doing power sports for the first half of the class. You'll be playing a one-on-one game. The objective is to get to the other end without being taken out by your opponent. We'll use the same teams as yesterday. Hurry up, pick your first player!"

"Alright, who's got water powers?" I asked my group once we'd split into the two teams.

Three of them raised their hands, and I picked the best two powers and swiped a hand through their possessor. Now I had the ability to breathe underwater, swim like a fish, manipulate water in all forms, and create powerful vortexes. I didn't take the third kid's power because being able to water plants isn't that useful when it comes to the 'power sport of swimming', hence why the kid was a sidekick.

My head was still spinning from power stealing when the game started, with Will going up against some kid that had six arms. Will jumped in the pool and started to splash at the kid. For a moment I thought he was being an idiot, but then I soon realized he had a point when a giant wave was formed because his super-strength. Six-arm guy was blown right out of the pool, and the current carried Will to the other side. Our team cheered while the other team fished their defeated player out of a basketball hoop.

My team decided that I'd be going next, and when the other team saw me pushed forcibly to the edge of the pool, they huddled together to pick my opponent. I turned around and voiced my objection to being picked to go second, because I didn't want to play at all. Next thing I know, I could be signed up for a swimming team, and I don't think I could take that. The other team came to a decision and their player stepped up to the opposite edge of the pool as I continued my protest. I looked across the water to see who they'd chosen, and was met with a very unpleasant surprise.


	32. Water Fight

Disclaimer: Anyone or anything that _wasn't_ in the movie is mine, and anyone or anything that _was_ in the movie is not.

Author's Note: I may not update for a long while, and here's why. I'm going to get my hair cut, layered, etc. I bet you're wondering why that would stop me from updating, aren't you? Well, my mom thinks she's the hair police, and won't let me get it layered and such; something about how I'll be whining about how I don't like it when it's done. So, I'm doing this behind her back, since I'm whining about how it looks right now, and when she finds out I'll probably get the computer taken away for a while, or some other form of punishment. Or I'll be dead. Either way. It's very complicated, I think. Moving on, I couldn't update for a while _before_ this because of work, hockey, school, and homework. But hey, I scored three goals in my two hockey games! It's a new record! Hurray! On with the story.

Chapter 32: Water Fight

I stared across the pool at Lash, who stood on the other end smirking at me as he waited for the whistle to signal the start of the game. I pulled a 180 and begged for someone to switch places with me. There were no takers. Sure, playing against Lash is fun in Save The Citizen, but that's because I can beat the shit out of him without getting into trouble. In 'power-swimming', he'd probably try to grope me or something like that, and while I was allowed to use my powers to subdue him, I was not allowed to drown him. Sulkily, I turned back around and stepped up to my edge of the pool. If looks could kill, Lash would be dead. Now all I have to do is find someone who has that power, and I'd be set.

The whistle blew and Lash jumped into the pool as I sprung into action. I started a vortex around him and froze a path to the other end of the pool, hoping to get this over with quickly and without having to put a single toe in the water with Lash. I was halfway across the pool, running along my ice path, when Lash's arm whipped out of the pool and grabbed my leg. I tripped and fell forward hard, landing face-first. I barely had time to lift my head and see the blood-smeared, cracked impact point of my face on the ice before Lash dragged me into the vortex. I didn't get to take a breath before I was plunged into the freezing water, and I panicked as water filled my mouth and nose, thinking I was suffocating.

The vortex disappeared as I lost control of it, and I swam for the surface frantically. I made it up and managed to choke up the water and take a deep breath before I was pulled under again. I lost the breath when I opened my mouth in surprise, but finally remembered that I could breathe underwater since I'd taken that one kid's power. I'm such an idiot. I spun around in the water to face Lash, my vision slightly obscured by the red cloud of blood forming in front of my face. Oh, he was going to _pay_.

I restarted that whirlpool, and jumped out of the pool back onto my ice path, throwing some electricity into the water when I was clear. Satisfied that he was sufficiently fried, I slid the rest of the way across the path to the other end and ran to the change room. I looked in the mirror and assessed the damage to my face. Several of the cuts my mom had given me had reopened when I hit the ice, and my nose was spouting blood like a faucet. Ouch.

I covered my nose in tissue paper and went back into the gym for a few moments to ask anyone if they had healing powers, because I was getting really tired of getting all messed up. I got some minor healing powers from some freshman and fixed up my face, going back to the change room to inspect the improvement. The slashes across my face were still there, but they were very faint, and my nose was all better.

I came back out just in time to see the beginning of a match between Magenta and Larry. They both jumped into the pool, both turning into their respective creatures: a guinea pig and a rock-monster. Larry sank to the bottom due to his weight—what an idiot—and Magenta gave up the guinea pig form because most guinea pigs don't swim very well. She reached the other side just as Larry surfaced, human again and sucking up all the air he could possibly get. That was one odd match.

Next up was Warren versus…Psyche. I felt like my blood had turned to ice. Warren was pretty much powerless in water, and Psyche was at an advantage now. I just knew she was going to try something; she wasn't the type to resist hitting someone when they're down. The whistle blew, and they both jumped into the water. Psyche resurfaced and began swimming smoothly to the other side with a small smirk. Warren didn't come back up. She reached the other end and got out of the pool, but Warren still hadn't come up for air. I went to the edge and looked into the blue, spotting him immediately as a dark shape at the bottom. He was crouched down, and he wasn't showing any sign of movement.

Conditioned by a life lacking superpowers, I completely forgot about them again and dove into the pool to rescue him. I never claimed I was a smart person. I reached Warren and grabbed his arm to drag him to the surface, but he latched on to my arm and pulled me down. Damn Psyche! Trying to make Warren drown himself, and now trying to make Warren drown me! 'But I can breathe underwater', I thought. That reminded me that I did, in fact, have powers. I used my super-strength to forcibly pull Warren upwards out of the pool, simultaneously using my waterpowers to pull Psyche back _into_ the pool right into a vortex. Yeah, I'm vengeful.

By the time I'd gotten Warren back onto solid ground, Psyche's hold on him was broken, probably because she was frantically trying to get out of the whirlpool I'd stuck her in. Warren's eyes snapped open and focused on me instantly, causing me to let go of him and recoil like I'd been burned. Dammit, when you're trying to ignore someone, it's not a good idea to save them from possibly life-and-death situations. Why'd I go and do something so stupid? Oh yeah, he was drowning. …Damn Psyche.

"Eve," Warren began.

"Um, well that was a close call. You've gotta learn how to take care of yourself, Warren; I won't always be around to save your ass," I interrupted him hastily.

Whatever he was going to say was forgotten; _nobody_ tells Warren Peacethat hecan't take care of himself. That was the plan. He opened his mouth indignantly, but I was already on my feet and heading to the change room. The class was almost over anyway, and my turn was already over. Besides, I had a new habit of avoiding Boomer, just in case he wanted me to sign up for anything else. I had a shower and changed out of my swimsuit, and then headed for the exit.

Unfortunately, Powers met me at the door.

"Alright, what did I do _now_?" I asked impatiently.

"Attempted to drown Miss Thomson in gym class. You're turning into a real disappointment," she told me, trying the whole guilt trip thing.

"What!" I almost yelled, "That's ridiculous! I didn't _drown_ her…I simply dropped her a whirlpool and _forgot_ to take her out. And besides, _she_ tried to drown Warren! She deserves everything she gets, I swear. But I didn't _drown_ her! …Damn Psyche."

Powers gave me that unimpressed look that is becoming so common to me, then replied, "Miss Thomson wouldn't try to drown someone. You on the other hand…you have a history of violent and dangerous behaviour."

"But I saved Warren's life, for Christ's sake! And I didn't try to drown her!" I protested.

She rolled her eyes, responding, "You don't really think she was trying to drown Warren, do you? You are one paranoid child, I think we should move up the appointment date to check if you really _are_ crazy."

I just stared at her in bewilderment. Had she really just said that? How…uncharacteristic of her. I glanced back at the students and saw Psyche duck behind some other students quickly. Very suspicious.

I focused back on Powers as she announced, "For attempting to kill another student, you get a three day out-of-school suspension, starting tomorrow. Normally you'd just get a stay in the detention, but I feel more drastic measures are necessary with you. So, after you're done your detention today, you can pack your bags and come back on Monday."

I looked at her in disbelief with my mouth hanging open. It wasn't that I was getting suspended—Hell, a few days away from that crazy school could do me some good—but that students just get a _detention_ for _attempted murder_. Is it just me, or does something sound wrong with that? I guess it explains why Warren's not in jail after trying to roast Stronghold freshman year.

She looked like she expected me to protest getting suspended, so I put on my best unhappy face and said lamely, "Um, that sucks."

Apparently that was good enough, because she let me be on my way with one last stern glance. God, she was so gullible! I hightailed it out of there and made my way stealthily to my last class, having accumulated a long list of people to avoid. And just like my last town, I had become a loner, and it was my own fault. Once again dismissing the urge to go find Warren and kiss him all better after his near-death experience as a side effect of his personality in my head, I sank into my desk in Hero History. I pulled out my headphones, and I was already deeply engrossed in listening to Faint by Linkin Park by the time Warren came to class.

As soon as the bell signalled an end to that lame subject, I grabbed my books and bag and hurried to get to detention. I wondered vaguely who'd be there today; Lash, Speed, Warren, Kyle, or one of the gang, and what combination. Lash was pretty much a given, but I could just hurt him anyway. If Warren was there though…

I stumbled at that thought, running into an open locker with a bang. I continued on, rubbing my forehead and focusing on the ground to avoid tripping over the smooth tiles again. I _swear_ it was the tiles. Really. I got to the detention room door with no further incidence and was let in by a vexed-looking Powers. If she didn't like having to let me in and out of that damn room, she should stop giving me detention.

Sure enough, Lash was waiting for me in the brilliantly bright room with his damn smirk in full force. God, I tried to drown the guy—not mention electrocute him—and he _still_ wouldn't give up. Since _attempted_ murder was only a stay in detention, what would _actual_ murder be? I glared at him briefly before taking a seat. He stood up and sauntered over, so I stood up and stomped hard on his foot.

As he was jumping up and down in pain, I loudly laid out my rules, "Lash, I am going to continue hurting you until you leave me the hell alone. Or at least until you cry like a one-legged man in an ass-kicking contest. So back off!"

He kind of backed off for the time being, knowing I'd just kick him again, and probably thinking he should've brought backup. I mentally crossed using that hilarious phrase off my 'list of things to do before I die'. Surprisingly, there were no more visitors after Lash hobbled out of the room, so I finally got the solitude I was looking for. But, why did it seem so hollow?


	33. A Captivating Song

Disclaimer: Anyone or anything that _wasn't_ in the movie is mine, and anyone or anything that _was_ in the movie is not.

Author's Note: Alright, I haven't cut my hair yet, so my mom won't kill me and end my writing career until next Wednesday. I have some time. Here's the next chapter, I'm trying to please the Warren-crazy readers out there before they stop reading out of pure frustration. Now it's getting somewhere.

Chapter 33: A Captivating Song

The next three days were _extremely_ uneventful, since I was stuck in my house being suspended. My whole day consisted of waking up around noon, eating lunch, playing video games, watching television, reading, and listening to music. It got so boring that I almost wished that Lash would show up at my door so that I could injure him again. The only slightly amusing things were the band practices on Wednesday and Thursday, but those were sort of weird because I was beginning to think that the rest of the band was plotting behind my back. It's not a pleasant feeling; maybe I _am_ paranoid.

Friday afternoon found me in my pyjamas watching The Day After Tomorrow upside down with my feet sticking up over the back of the couch, bored out of my skull. I was still attempting to reach the popcorn bowl on the coffee table without sliding off the couch onto my head when Kyle teleported home from school.

"Get out of the way, Sam's about to be chased by wolves," I ordered him distractedly, motioning for him to move and trying to see around him, adding as an afterthought, "Can you pass me the popcorn?"

Kyle looked behind him in confusion, and then understood why I said someone was going to be chased by wolves after he recognized the movie. I guess not everyone says someone's going to be chased by wolves out of the blue, but he should expect that from me by now. He sat down on the couch beside me and grabbed the bowl of popcorn, giving me a handful.

I was munching on said popcorn when he offhandedly remarked, "We've got to get going to the club soon. It's show night, you know."

I started up in surprise, causing my precarious balance to be lost, and slid off the couch onto my head. I got up slowly holding my head in my hands.

"That's today? Damn, I completely spaced. I gotta go get ready," I mumbled, trudging halfway to the stairs until I remembered that I could teleport.

I teleported to my room and rummaged through my closet to find something other than the blue plaid pyjama pants and grey tank top that I had worn all day. Though, it could be an interesting new look for me…no, maybe not. I chose some dark blue hip-hugger jeans, as well as a black tank top underneath a tight, off the shoulder, long sleeved, bright red shirt that faded to bright yellow as it got further towards the bottom. It reminded me of fire. I put my red sneakers on and ran a brush through my hair, grabbing my necklace as I went out the door and putting in on while I went down the stairs.

"Alright, I'm ready," I announced as I descended the final step.

Kyle just nodded once in reply, disappearing into thin air. Following his example, I teleported to the club, weaving my way through the scurrying waitresses towards the stage. The guys were already there. They were talking about something, but they ceased their little conversation as soon as I approached. Maybe I'm _not _paranoid after all.

"What were you guys talking about," I asked suspiciously, trying to sound nonchalant and failing miserably.

"Luke's got a sore throat, and won't be able to sing some of the songs," Brent answered smoothly, "But don't worry, we've got someone to fill in for him."

"Who?" I questioned, dropping the nonchalant act entirely.

"Ohhh, just someone. You might know him; you might not. You'll see, he'll be here in a bit," Luke told me mysteriously, not sounding like he had a sore throat at all.

I narrowed my eyes at them, but I couldn't tell what they were up to; Brent, Kyle and Luke had excellent poker faces, and Colin was pointedly looking at everything except me; mainly the ceiling. I threw up my hands in exasperation and stalked off to my spot on stage, figuring I'd find out their secret eventually. In short time we were all practicing our songs, except for the ones that Luke _supposedly_ couldn't sing because of his _supposed_ sore throat. We decided to play some of the songs Luke could sing first and then have this 'mystery singer' cut in halfway, with Luke finishing up. I was still wondering why Luke couldn't sing Everything Burns.

Eventually the doors were opened, and the students poured in while we played our songs. Layla and the rest of the group were there, including Warren, and so were Lash, Speed, and Psyche. I was getting better at ignoring them, though I did throw a tiny fireball at Lash when his stretchy arms got too close for comfort. Who did he think he was, trying to _grab_ me on the _stage_? But, that was only a minor annoyance.

After I was finished Still Frame by Trapt, we reached the halfway point. Luke signalled a five-minute break, so I instantly teleported to roof to get some fresh air. When the five minutes were up Brent came to get me, his expression still betraying nothing of the guys' plan. I wearily teleported back inside the club, feeling very left in the dark.

That feeling evaporated as soon as I saw just who was waiting for me on stage with a big, conspiratorial grin on his face. Care to take a guess?

"Warren, what the hell are you doing here!" I hissed furiously at him, having sprinted onto the stage.

Warren's grin got even wider as he casually replied in mock-surprise, "Luke's got a sore throat and I'm filling in. Didn't you know?"

"I'll believe that when pigs fly!" I told him angrily, still managing to keep my voice down to a hiss.

There was more than a hint of amusement in his low voice as he countered, "Hey, considering all the super-powered kids in the room right now, I think we could probably find someone with the power to do _just that_."

"Why are you here?" I growled, though I knew he wouldn't respond to the repetition.

He leaned in close and whispered in my ear, "Just proving my point."

I glared at him in livid confusion, but before I could demand to know what the hell that meant, he turned away, grabbed the acoustic guitar propped up by the microphone, and began the next song. It was Everything Burns by Anastasia, featuring Ben Moody. Or is it the other way around. I wasn't considering what order the artists were arranged in the song credits at that particular moment, however.

I barely caught my cue on time, and I started singing the song, still glaring at Warren.

She sits in her corner  
Singing herself to sleep  
Wrapped in all of the promises  
That no one seems to keep  
She no longer cries to herself  
No tears left to wash away  
Just diaries of empty pages  
Feelings gone astray  
But she will sing

I'd stopped glaring by that point because it hurt my eyes. I did still look at Warren curiously, however. He joined in for the chorus, and I found out that he really could sing.

Til everything burns  
While everyone screams  
Burning their lies  
Burning my dreams  
All of this hate  
And all of this pain  
I'll burn it all down  
As my anger reigns  
Til everything burns

Once again, I found myself sucked into a staring contest with him, and when he started his verse I couldn't have torn my eyes away from his if I'd tried. It was like he was hypnotizing me or something, and much to my dismay, I didn't even mind.

Walking through life unnoticed  
Knowing that no one cares  
Too consumed in their masquerade  
No one sees her there  
And still she sings

He began the chorus again and I added my bit to it, still unable to look away as his gaze intensified. I couldn't seem to catch my breath, yet I was still singing.

Til everything burns  
While everyone screams  
Burning their lies  
Burning my dreams  
All of this hate  
And all of this pain  
I'll burn it all down  
As my anger reigns

Til everything burns

Everything burns  
Everything burns  
Watching it all fade away  
(All fade away)  
Everyone screams  
Everyone screams  
(Watching it all fade away)  
Oooh, ooh

What a clever trick, using a song against me. Or was it against me? I couldn't even think anymore. I couldn't look away because…because…

I was falling deeper and deeper into his dark eyes.

Til everything burns  
While everyone screams  
Burning down lies  
Burning my dreams  
(All of this hate)  
And all of this pain  
I'll burn it all down  
As my anger reigns  
Til everything burns  
(Everything burns)  
Watching it all fade away  
(Everything burns)  
Watching it all fade away

As soon as the song ended, so did the spell that he'd woven on me. I blinked and stared down at my feet, gasping for breath as I scolded myself for not seeing this coming. I need to find a kid with precognition, and fast, because I never have a clue. I shot an accusing glance at Kyle, who'd obviously known about this plan all along and never told me. He just shrugged at me and began looking at the ceiling like it was fascinating.

Everything Burns is a pretty ironic song for a pyromaniac to pick, don't you think? Warren had known just where I'd be hit the hardest: with music. I have such a lame weakness. Save me from Lash, that stalker, or have a connection over villainous parents and I was just fine, but sing me a captivating song…

He'd almost completely shattered my defences, but I soon realized that he wasn't done yet.


	34. The Final Blow

Disclaimer: Anyone or anything that _wasn't_ in the movie is mine, and anyone or anything that _was_ in the movie is not.

Author's Note: Sorry if this chapter, and the next one even more so, aren't very good; I'm not exactly used to writing this kind of stuff.

Chapter 34: The Final Blow

I was getting ready to light one of the band members' hair on fire, but couldn't decide which one. They'd gone behind my back and set this up with Warren! And there we were supposed to be a team. I was snapped out of my contemplation—I was leaning towards roasting Luke, or maybe Colin—when Warren turned to me and spoke into the microphone for all to hear.

"So, are you won over yet, or do I have to take drastic measures?" he asked, grinning wickedly.

I was so shocked at that that I phased through the stage and landed hard on the cement basement floor. Before I had a chance to seize the opportunity and run away from this awkward situation, Kyle phased through the ceiling and landed at my side. He grabbed my arm and unceremoniously teleported me back upstairs, placing me back in front of Warren, who was still looking at me expectantly.

"Why are you doing this?" I whispered, trying my hardest to be furious.

Warren nodded to himself before announcing to the crowd, "Well, on to my next song," he glanced over at me for a second, "Eve, you wouldn't know the words, I'm fairly certain, so you can sit this one out," he turned back to the crowd, "This song is dedicated to Eve, of course. I think it relates to my problem with _uncanny_ likeness. If this doesn't work, I'll just have to resort to Lash's methods and see if she'll _actually_ hurt me."

I was wide-eyed: for the first time in my life, I had no witty retort at all. Not even a not-so-witty retort. Nothing at all. All I could do was stare at him with my mouth hanging open in shock until Kyle pulled me off the stage to the bar. I just let myself be dragged along, all too aware of the way everyone was looking at me. I thought I'd been embarrassed that one time when I'd…never mind. But this, this blew that little incident right out of the water. I felt myself going invisible slowly, but forced that to stop, since it would've just made them laugh, and right then I preferred the stunned silence.

Once he'd made sure I was seated at a stool, Kyle teleported back to his drum set. They began to play a song that I vaguely remembered hearing on the radio, but for the life of me, I couldn't remember what it was called. Warren stared right at me as he began to sing.

_She's cold and she's cruel but she knows what she's doing  
She pushed me in the pool at our last school reunion  
She laughs at my dreams but I dream about her laughter  
Strange as it seems she's the one I'm after _

Once again, he made rational thought impossible as he shamelessly sang to the whole crowd, some of which were still looking at me in amazement. Like I do in all my sticky situations, I found myself thinking about the most _unimportant_ things possible. For instance, right then I was thinking something along the lines of, "Whoa, I actually _did_ push him in a pool. Well, threw, anyway."

'_Cause she's bittersweet  
She knocks me off of my feet  
And I can't help myself  
I don't want anyone else  
She's a mystery  
She's too much for me  
But I keep coming back for more  
She's just the girl I'm looking for_

I remembered the song now; it was by The Click Five. I realized then that Warren was not going to give up, no matter what I did. He was just like Lash, only he chose to be charming and use grand public gestures instead of trying to sexually harass me. Why was I running? Oh yeah, he'd just hurt me, or he just wanted something from me, or something like that. That was it, wasn't it? I would've shaken my head to clear my thoughts, but I was fixated on his dark eyes, and I couldn't move a muscle.

_She can't keep a secret for more than an hour  
She runs on one hundred proof attitude power  
And the more she ignores me, the more I adore her  
What can I do - I'd do anything for her _

Hey, I can keep a secret! Okay, so maybe the songs not exact, but it's pretty damn close. Quit thinking like that! That would mean…Warren couldn't really mean it, could he?

'_Cause she's bittersweet  
She knocks me off of my feet  
And I can't help myself  
I don't want anyone else  
She's a mystery  
She's too much for me  
But I keep coming back for more  
She's just the girl I'm looking for _

Oh my God, he really does mean it…now what do I do? How can he feel that way about me? Nobody else does. Except Lash, but that's not love, that's Lash being lustful. Why am I using alliteration! Agh! I can't think! This is how he truly feels. I…what do _I_ feel?

_And when she sees it me  
On her caller ID  
She won't pick up the phone  
She'd rather be alone  
But I can't give up just yet  
'Cause every word she's every said  
Is still ringing in my head  
Still ringing in my head _

So, Warren was serious, otherwise he wouldn't have gotten up in front of a bunch of people and professed his…love…and pretty much _shattered_ his 'bad-ass' image in the process. I don't think I can take this. _Love_ supposedly means _happiness_, yet another foreign word.

Warren continued to stare deep into my soul, and I think he knew what I felt, even though I didn't.

_She's cold and she's cruel but she knows what she's doing  
Knows just what to say so my whole day is ruined _

Could I even _be_ happy? In the words of Titus: 'Normal people can live with happiness. Screwed-up people will try to _destroy_ it.' If I'm not screwed-up, then I don't know who is. I'd just destroy it; I've already tried. Why did I try? Because…

'Cause she's bittersweet  
She knocks me off of my feet  
And I can't help myself  
I don't want anyone else  
She's a mystery  
She's too much for me  
But I keep coming back for more

'Cause she's bittersweet  
She knocks me off of my feet  
And I can't help myself  
I don't want anyone else  
She's a mystery  
She's too much for me  
But I keep coming back for more

This song was the final blow to my already fragile defences. He won't give up; he's too determined. Aren't I determined also? To do what again? Damn music fogging up my brain. Let's just hope that _Lash_ can't sing.

_Oh, I keep coming back for more_

_She's just the girl I'm looking for_

_Just the girl the girl I'm looking for_

_I'm looking for_

_I'm looking for_

_I'm looking for_

_Just the girl I'm looking for_

The song finished, I could finally think again. My reflection about everything stayed in my mind though, much as I tried to tell myself that I was being stupid. What was I running from? I was so confused.

Warren held out his hand to me, saying softly, "Please don't make all my public singing be for nothing, Eve. It wasn't easy."

My eyes were getting teary as I fought my strange internal battle. He _sang_ a song just for _me_. I was being ridiculous. I shook my head and blinked a few times as I teleported right in front of Warren and grabbed his outstretched hand. I instantly relocated the two of us to a more secluded place, because I wasn't about to talk with him in front of that crowd. This was _not_ a public subject. The first private place I thought of was my room; unsurprising if you're the type that considers you're bedroom a sanctuary from the world.

Warren was startled by the change in scenery, and he looked around him at the dim room until I quietly asked, "You're not going to give up, are you?"

"No. I'm just stubborn like that," was his immediate response.

I looked down at the ground, struggling to find the words to say.

"Do you really mean all that you say?" I queried, my eyes still downcast.

"Eve, I got up in front of _everyone_ and said so. Do you have any _idea_ how hard that was? I'm _seriously_ not a public speaker. So yes, I mean what I say," he told me, lifting up my chin so that I'd look at him.

"Alright, I give," I declared in resignation, and then warned him, "But I swear to _God_, Warren, if you make me regret this, you'll be in a world of hurt. I _promise_."

He grinned and mischievously replied, "Wouldn't have it any other way. Why, if you stopped being so violent, I just don't know what I'd do."

I couldn't help but smile at that, but then I became sombre again as I asked, "What happens now?"

"This," he answered quickly.

He grabbed me by the waist suddenly and pulled me close, that wicked grin of his returning as his lips found mine.


	35. Complications

Disclaimer: Anyone or anything that _wasn't_ in the movie is mine, and anyone or anything that _was_ in the movie is not.

Author's Note: Well, I was kicked off the computer for a long time because of the whole haircut incident, but I'm back on. Were you guys worried? Not being on the computer for so long has given me writer's block big time, so please, bear with me. The story is almost complete.

Chapter 35: Complications

The moment was wrecked when Kyle burst into the room without so much as a knock on the door, which startled me into phasing through the floor, not to mention Warren. I landed in the living room with me head spinning, mentally noting that taking someone's personality doesn't necessarily mean taking their power too, much to my dismay. I teleported back up to my room and pointed at Kyle angrily, about to tell him off. The two different images of my brother merged together again as I stopped seeing double, and I adjusted my arm to point at the actual Kyle, instead of the wall beside him.

"What the heck! Don't you know how to knock?" I demanded.

"Just checking to see if you were home, and I see that you are. And since Warren's not _dead_, I'm simply going to assume that you've realized that my plan was a good one, and you won't kill _me_," he said carefully, putting his hands up defensively and glancing at Warren to make sure he seriously wasn't dead.

Warren was alive, though he did look kind of uncomfortable just then. I suppose it was an awkward situation, all things considered.

"You don't just walk into people's rooms without knocking, Kyle, especially if they're killers and you're their next potential target. And just 'cause Warren's not dead doesn't mean that _you_ aren't. Going behind my back like that, it's just not what siblings do—"

Warren interrupted me before I could get into details by saying, "Okay, Eve, don't kill Kyle. He was just trying to help. Don't be violent."

"That was so hypocritical of you, Mr. '_I'll set fire to anyone who looks at me sideways_," I replied, trying my hardest not to smile.

Apparently Warren can be as easily amused as me at times, because he holding back a grin too. It wasn't that funny. Kyle didn't really see what we were laughing at.

"Alright…I think you should be going to sleep soon, Eevee. You have to get up early tomorrow morning and go to 'weekend detention' for trying to kill what's-her-face. And since I'm on wake-up duty tomorrow, I think you need to get your rest. I don't want to get injured," Kyle stated, then turned to Warren, "I'll teleport you home, since there's no telling if I'll get Eve back to our house if I let _her_ take you."

"You have a dirty mind, Kyle," I told him, giving him a smack upside the head for that little comment before exclaiming, "Wait, what? I have detention on a Saturday again? God, I thought that being suspended was the punishment; Powers is clearly going into over-kill here. How many people get detention on a weekend, besides me? Damn Psyche."

Kyle raised an eyebrow before dryly answering, "Yep, not many besides you. But Powers did call and tell us. Come on, Warren, before she decides to lash out and hit something."

Warren barely had time to wave goodbye before Kyle grabbed his arm and teleported away. I stood there for a few moments trying to piece together all that had happened that night, and then I gave up and changed into pyjamas. I fell asleep fairly early because of the energy drain I got from acquiring Warren's powers, and didn't have too much time to dwell on the night's events.

The next day, Kyle did actually have some trouble waking me up, though I can't remember because I was, of course, asleep. He did manage to jolt me awake by splashing me in the face with a glass of water, which I did not appreciate. However, ice-cold water in the face first thing in the morning did piss me off enough to trigger Warren's personality, and the flames that came with it dried me off. The flames also scorched Kyle's shirt when he wasn't quick enough to dodge the fireball I threw at him. I'm not a morning person.

Since I was already out of bed—I had to stand to take aim at Kyle's head—I figured that I might as well stay up and get dressed. I picked out a long-sleeved green shirt and pulled overtop it a black t-shirt that had 'Out of my mind…back in five minutes' written on it, then chose a pair of baggy green camouflage cargo pants. I ran a brush through my hair and put my Oakley hat on, then put on my necklace and went downstairs to the kitchen.

I had enough time to eat an Eggo before my dad told me to get to school for detention, so I grabbed a sandwich bag of Goldfish crackers and shoved it in my messenger bag before heading out the door. Once I got outside, I smacked myself in the forehead for forgetting my powers and teleported to school.

I always hate having to come to school when there aren't any classes; mainly because I don't want to _be_ there if I don't have classes, but also because it's so creepily quiet. Is it just me? Since the majority of the students weren't there—_me_ being the minority, I suppose—most of the lights weren't on, and there was just enough light that I didn't run into lockers or anything like that. Anyway, I made my way through the dim hallways until I got to the detention room door.

I expected to find Powers there waiting for me, but no. I'm not a patient person and wanted to get detention over with, so I started wandering around looking for her. After a fruitless search, I returned to the detention room door, and she still wasn't there. I know I'm supposed to do my time and whatnot, but only an idiot would try to break _into_ that accursed white room because there was no to let them in. 'Her loss,' I thought, 'I'll sit in there and slowly lose the tenuous grip on my sanity some _other_ time to make it up.' And with that, I started walking back through the gloom to the front door.

About three hallways later, I smacked myself in the forehead again for forgetting that I could teleport. I was about to do just that when I happened to glance down one hall and see Warren down at the far end. Well what the hell?

"Warren?" I called.

He disappeared around a corner, showing no sign that he'd even heard me. I stood there for a second in shock that he'd ignore me like that, and then ran down the hall to catch up with him. I turned the corner and almost ran into someone. Some girl with long brown hair was standing by a locker with a guy that looked like an older version of Warren.

"Oh, sorry, I thought you were someone else," I began to apologize, then asked, "Wait, who are you and what are you doing here?"

"My name is Gwen Grayson, I used to go to school here," that brunette girl replied, giving me a 'winning' smile, like she was a prom queen or something.

I thought the name sounded familiar, but I couldn't place where I'd heard it. I just knew that I didn't like her. When I automatically dislike someone, I get suspicious.

I turned to the Warren look-alike and warily commented, "You look like someone I know."

"I know," he responded, an evil smirk turning up the corners of his lips as fire spread up his arms from his hands.

Gwen's smile faded away and she nonchalantly remarked, "Baron and I have been waiting for you a while now, Eve, so either you're late or Psyche got the time wrong."

"Baron…Baron Battle!" I thought out loud, starting to back away slowly, "And Gwen Gra…Royal Pain! Shit!"

In the split second it took me to decide between fight and flight, Gwen pulled out a fluorescent green stone that I knew all too well. Kyle and Warren came skidding around the corner and ran into the two villains, and a newspaper fell from Kyle's hand as he collapsed. It landed next to my head as I hit the floor, and the headline was right in front of my face. The last thing I saw before I blacked out was the headline, "STREETS NO LONGER SAFE: THREE DANGEROUS SUPERVILLAINS ESCAPE FROM PRISON".


	36. Captured

Disclaimer: Anyone or anything that _wasn't_ in the movie is mine, and anyone or anything that _was_ in the movie is not.

Author's Note: I'm sorry that I haven't updated in forever, but I have a reason. Shortly after I got my computer privileges back after being grounded, the computer stopped working. It got fixed recently; the motherboard was fried or something like that. I'm not really sure. The point is, the computer is working again, so I can update. Hurray! The story is almost done.

Chapter 36: Captured

I woke up slowly and shook my head as I raised myself off the floor. Looking around, I found myself in the detention room, of all places. All the events up to my getting knocked out came back to me in a rush as I took in the sight of several others sprawled out on the floor. I rushed over to the closest person and turned them over so that I could see their face.

"Will?" I exclaimed, backing away in fear—I don't like the possibility of my friends being dead—and looking around.

Right next to Will's prone form were Beck and Kyle, also facedown. From where I was, I could see Layla's long red hair, Zach's telltale bright whites, Magenta's purple gear, Ethan's orange sweater, and a few others. Even Powers was lying on the floor. Warren was nowhere to be found. I got over my initial shock and crept back to check Kyle's pulse. Good, still alive. Everybody was out cold, but I tried smacking Kyle around a bit to wake him up. Surprisingly, it worked.

"If you slap me one more time, I swear," he mumbled, squeezing his eyes shut against the harsh light of the detention room.

I rolled my eyes as I muttered, "And I'm supposed to be the one who's hard to wake up."

I hauled him into a sitting position, ignoring his protests and requests for "five more minutes". He finally opened his eyes, and was jolted into coherency by the unexpected surroundings.

"This is kind of like a nightmare I had once, except you weren't in it and there was an evil leprechaun with bunny slippers," Kyle commented vaguely, surveying the scene with half-open eyes.

I figured he wasn't quite awake yet, so I gave him another slap to the face to be sure.

"I'm already awake!" he yelled, rubbing his now red cheek and standing up.

"Just checking," I told him defensively, getting to my feet.

He looked around in concern, and there was a hint of fear in his voice as he asked, "Are they all dead?"

"I don't think so. I think they're all unconscious, because why would you put dead bodies in a power-neutralizing room? It's just redundant. Knowing how super-villains are, though, there's probably something very unpleasant coming up. They don't just keep their enemies alive just because they're busy with a Tupperware party. They have had too much time sitting in a jail cell plotting strange and cruel torturous revenge," I replied distractedly, bending down and checking to make sure everyone was breathing.

While Kyle was busy trying to wake up Beck I tried waking some of the others up, like Will and Layla, but it didn't work. I was just getting to Magenta by the door when said door opened with a hiss. Thinking quickly, I lunged at the doorway to catch someone by surprise. I was out of the room and about to give that someone a mean left hook when I froze. The door slid shut behind me before Kyle could get to it, and I was stuck suspended in the air with my fist a few inches from Lash's smug face. I noticed that he was wearing my hat. Psyche came up beside him to give me an arrogant little smirk and opened her mouth to make some superior comment.

The only warning they had was my mouth contorting into a furious snarl, as I got mad and switched personalities. I followed through with the punch and sent Lash flying into the lockers as I whipped around to face Psyche. Before she could put me under mind control again, I hit her point-blank in the chest with a fireball. She went crashing into the lockers right next to Lash and slid to the ground, unconscious.

"Under ten seconds. Nice," I said breathlessly, grabbing my hat, putting it on, and turning around to focus my attention on the detention room door.

I could see Kyle through the little window in the door as I went to open it. I only had time to turn around when I saw him yell and point behind me. Baron Battle was right there when I turned, and he fastened a bracelet onto my right wrist by the time I was fully facing him. On the inside of the plain metal band were at least six needles, which sank deep into my wrist as the latch closed.

I screamed in pain as I doubled over and clutched the arm just above my bloody wrist, and then I shot Baron Battle a pissed off look and a high-pitched, anger-choked "Ow!"

I straightened up and made the motion to throw a fireball, but nothing happened. I tried again, but nothing. Tried another power, still nothing. My powers weren't working. I stared down at my left hand in confusion, and then looked up at Baron Battle, who had a triumphant kind of evil half-smile on his face.

"Well…this is awkward," I remarked.

Baron Battle's grin faded away as he leaned forward to grab my arm. 'Quick decision,' I thought, kicking him in the shin. He bent down slightly, giving me the opportunity to knee him in the face, which I took. I frantically ran to the detention room door and banged on the sides, trying to remember just how Powers opened it. Kyle was yelling at me and motioning for me to run. I couldn't get the door open.

With a furious shriek, I gave up on the door and ran, half blinded by the pain of my wrist and the tears stinging my eyes. I turned a corner, narrowly avoiding a fireball aimed for my head. I gave a squeak and ran faster, turning another corner and then another. I grabbed the grill of a vent and pulled it out hastily, crawled into the vent and put the grill back on behind me. I squirmed backwards away from the opening and bit down on my left knuckle to keep from crying out in pain. My wrist hurt like hell, especially after pulling out the grill.

I thought I could hide in the vent and wait for him to pass, but then I noticed the trail of blood in the hall leading right to the vent and started wriggling my way backwards faster. My wrist was going to lead Baron Battle right to me! I gave a squeak of surprise as I fell backwards down a vertical shaft. I fell straight down for a bit and then the shaft angled off. I crashed through a grill and landed on my back on a concrete floor.

Now that I was aching all over, the biting pain in my wrist didn't bother me so much. I sat up, took a quick glance at the surroundings and figured I was somewhere in the school's basement. I ripped the right sleeve of my green shirt off just above the elbow and surveyed the damage on my wrist. I couldn't find the latch on the bracelet; it looked completely seamless. My blood had filled a clear tube thingy running down the middle of the metal band, which is what the needles were for, I guess. I wrapped up the wrist, bracelet and all, in the fabric that I'd ripped off my sleeve.

My hat flew out of the duct I'd come from and hit me in the back of the head before it fell at my feet. I picked it up and dusted it off—though I didn't really see the point, since I was covered in dust from head to toe, anyway—and put it on backwards to keep the hair out of my eyes.

"Oh come on," I said out loud, "Could things get worse?"

At that point, the dust sent me into a sneezing fit, answering my question. At least it shook a lot of the dust out of my clothes. Once that passed, I got to my feet and stumbled off down a dimly lit hallway lined with pipes. I tried to think of a plan, but no good ones were coming to mind.

This was my assessment of the situation: I was wandering around through the basement of a floating school, with no powers, no way to get down to earth, and at least one super-villain roaming the halls looking for me. Meanwhile, the rest of my super-powered buddies were locked up in a room that I didn't know how to open, and even if I could open it most of them were knocked out and I was in no condition to drag their unconscious asses out of there. On top of that, I had the use of only one arm because every movement of my right arm caused sharp pain to shoot upwards from my wrist. I was bruised all over from landing on the basement floor; I was just lucky I wasn't paralysed from the fall. There was no way to contact anyone outside the school, and no help was coming. And I had no painkillers.

These were my ideas: I could go after the villains, but without my powers and the use of my right arm that would be suicide. So would jumping off the edge of the school and trying to use my t-shirt as a parachute. Staying in one spot until Baron Battle found me would undoubtedly lead to a slow, painful death, or worse. And lastly, constructing a makeshift shelter made up mainly of sheets from the laundry room and living down in the basement was just plain stupid. I was all out of bright ideas. This was a worst possible scenario that I'd never been imaginative to think of.

In short, I was completely and totally screwed.


	37. Finding Warren

Disclaimer: Anyone or anything that _wasn't_ in the movie is mine, and anyone or anything that _was_ in the movie is not.

Author's Note: Thanks to everyone who reads this story, you must have a lot of patience. RiRiana, there is a reason why Eve is so powerful, don't worry. Now, on with the story.

Chapter 37: Finding Warren

I was still trying to find my way out of the basement when I heard someone in the next corridor knock over a loose pipe with a loud clang. I tensed up in fear. Then I snapped out of it and hugged the wall, creeping forward as quietly as was possible. I could see the shadow of the person around the corner, but it was too vague to determine who it belonged to. As I crept along the wall, dust was kicked up from the pipes by my clothes rubbing against them. I was aboutten feet away from the corner when I got the urge to sneeze. I tried to stifle it with my hand; a sneeze is just what I need to give away my position. I thought the sneeze threat had passed and put my hand back on the pipes. I drew my hand back instantly with a startled yelp; my left hand was burned by hot metal. I could've sworn none of those pipes were hot five seconds ago.

I stared wide-eyed at the shadow, futilely wishing that whoever was just around the corner had a hearing problem. No such luck. I could hear feet pounding on the cement, and the shadow loomed larger as the mystery person ran my way. In a second they'd be turning the corner. Really, I didn't think it was much of a mystery person anymore; what other villain could heat up the pipes in a span of a few seconds? It had to be…

"…Warren?" I said in disbelief.

"Eve. You're alive," he exclaimed, running the rest of the way and wrapping his arms around me.

"What are you doing here? How'd you get away?…Why are you in the basement?" I asked, very confused and a bit stunned at finding Warren down there.

"There's no time for questions, we have to get moving," he told me distractedly, letting go of my shoulders to grasp my right wrist as he turned back in the direction he'd come from.

I yelled out in pain and sank to my knees, feeling pretty faint. Warren released my wrist immediately and crouched down next to me in concern.

"What's wrong? Your wrist?" he asked, surprisingly calm considering I'd almost passed out.

"No offence, I don't like your dad so much, Warren," I replied, grinning weakly as I unwrapped my wrist to show him the damage.

He grimaced at the sight and wrapped my wrist back up carefully before helping me to my feet. I didn't bother asking where we were going; I assumed Warren knew what he was doing, plus I was getting kinda woozy from the loss of blood. He led the way through the halls, holding my hand to make sure I was following. If I'd been thinking right, I might've asked how he knew his way through the crazy labyrinth basement of the school. It's not exactly common knowledge.

Eventually we arrived at a staircase and climbed up to the main level. Warren pushed open the door and looked both ways before stepping out into the hall. Instead of going outside, he directed us deeper into the school. It looked like he was steering us towards the gym.

I finally got curious enough to ask, "Warren, why the hell are we going further _into_ the school? Shouldn't we be going _outside_ and trying to flag down an airplane or something? I know you're a pyro, but I don't think you can take on all the bad guys at once."

I saw a strange look in his eye as he glanced back and answered, "That's not the plan."

At that, I stopped walking and demanded, "What is the plan, then? Better yet, why were you down in the basement without a scratch on you? That's what I want to know."

"It's not important," he brushed me off emotionlessly, pulling me towards the gym.

I pulled back and managed to get my hand out of his grip. He turned around fully as I backed up into a locker.

"Eve, we don't have time for this," he said impatiently, but still with something missing in his voice.

"I think we _do_ have time for this. Why do you sound like you have no soul? Why are we going to the gym? That's a likely place for a bunch of villains to be, don't you think? Why are you taking us right to them?" I asked suspiciously.

"'Why do I sound like I have no _soul_?' Eve, can you hear yourself? You sound completely paranoid. Trust me, I know what I'm—" he stopped, cocked his head at me and smirked, "Well, I guess I should give up that; there's no fooling you now. Very clever," he took a step forward, taunting, "You want to know the plan? The plan is to take you into that gym and hand you over to 'the bad guys'. How does that plan sound?"

"I think you _suck_ at making plans," I snapped, starting to edge sideways away from him along the lockers.

"See, smart-ass comments like that are the reason it's _you_ in particular I'm supposed to bring in there. She feels it's time you had that impudent smirk wiped off your face. Permanently," he explained, almost snarling.

"Did you just use the word '_impudent_'?" I asked, smirking on purpose, "It just sounds funny coming out of your mouth. If you _are_ the real Warren."

He got his composure back and caught me off guard with the casually tossed out comment, "Actually, _impudent_ is the word your mother used."

I did not see that coming, and in my moment of shock Warren seized his opportunity and lunged at me. Fortunately, that un-stunned me pretty damn quick. He was trying to get a hold of both of my arms, but I was making that difficult.

"Give up, Eve. Stop struggling, make things easier on yourself," Warren shouted, grabbing for my left arm.

I shouted back, "Warren, why the hell are you doing this? Ow! Son of a…get off me!"

He had my good arm pinned behind my back, so I tripped him with my feet. It's a good thing he fell backwards, since he would've landed on me otherwise. The breath was knocked out of him and he lost his grip on my arm. I rolled off him hastily and took off. I know he was being evil and trying to catch me and get me killed, but I couldn't just hurt Warren.

'Running down a school hallway from a pissed-off pyrokinetic…you know, I feel like I've done this before,' I thought bitterly as I sprinted away. I heard a familiar whoosh and dove to the ground as a fireball flew through the air where my head had been. What was it with them and aiming for my head? I got to my feet and ran around the corner before he threw another fireball.

I was looking over my shoulder to see if he'd follow me around the corner when I slipped and fell hard backwards on my rear-end. Ouch. I looked down and saw I'd slipped on some dark liquid. Sure enough, I was right in front of the detention room sitting in a puddle of my own blood. I tried to stand up and slipped again, falling flat-out this time. 'This will go down in history as the _stupidest_ chase ever', was all I could think as I lay sprawled out on the floor.

Warren came and looked down at me, asking sarcastically, "What smart-alec remark do you have now?"

"…Ow, my ass?" I said after a moment's thought, looking up at him and finding him not amused.

I spun myself around on the slippery floor and tried to kick him—hey, I don't _want_ to hurt him, but I have to defend myself—but he just caught my ankles and started dragging me towards the gym. I struggled to reach his hands and bite him or something, but I couldn't get up.

"Hey! Let me go, dammit! Warren, I _will_ get you back for this! What did they do to you! Lemmego!" I yelled indignantly at him, still trying to free my legs.

Of course, he didn't listen to me. My nails weren't long enough for scratching at the floor behind me for traction to do any good. Soon enough, he opened up the gym door and dragged me inside, after stopping for a moment to pry my fingers off the edge of a locker, then a fountain, and then the door itself. However, once we were in the gym he unceremoniously pulled me up by the hair and tossed me into the middle of the big room. I hissed in pain and felt my scalp to make sure he hadn't torn out a big chunk of hair. I noticed that somewhere between tussling with Warren initially and being thrown into the gym, I'd lost my hat again.

"You owe me a hat," I peevishly informed Warren, who was standing like a guard at the door.

He smirked sinisterly and looked at something, or someone, behind me. I gave a resigned sigh and turned around to see just what could make things worse.


	38. The Evil Plot

Disclaimer: Anyone or anything that _wasn't_ in the movie is mine, and anyone or anything that _was_ in the movie is not.

Author's Note: I got grounded off the computer for a bit. But I'm back, though my parents think I'm doing a report on The Crusades or something like that. Anyway, does anyone remember way back when I said I'd write a new story with characters from you guys in it? I have put out a casting call because I figured I should start writing it, seeing as how I have nothing better to do and this story's close to the end. Now, having said that, on with the story.

Chapter 38: The Evil Plot

Sitting in the lower bleachers looking sinister were several familiar faces. Lash was there, as well as Psyche, Speed, and Penny. Sitting with them looking equally sinister were a few _un_familiar faces, which included some guy with coal-black skin and blue spiked hair wearing some kind of black ninja suit, and some girl with blonde hair wearing what looked like a black leather nurse's outfit. Weird. About midway up the bleachers, Baron Battle was lounging in a seat looking very bored and irritated. He was snapping his fingers every few seconds to create a small flame only to extinguish it, and then repeat the process. I guess that's one way to keep yourself amused, if you're a human torch.

My gaze only lingered on all of them for a moment or so, however, because my attention was drawn to the villain sitting beside Royal Pain _in a throne_ at the top of the bleachers. My mother: The Ghost. I wasn't surprised at all that she'd had a throne dragged to the top of the steps, honestly; that was just like her.

"Eve, how nice of you to join us," she exclaimed, once again using that fake, sugary sweet voice.

"Stow it, you egotistical bitch. What the hell did you do to Warren?" I demanded, never being one to beat around the bush.

She gave up on the act quicker than usual, snarling, "I shouldn't even bother asking again, should I? You just aren't smart enough to do what's best for yourself."

"I _hardly_ consider joining your side and leading a life of crime to be what's best for me. Prison looks like _such_ an unpleasant place. You _are_ going to prison, you know that, right?" I replied icily.

She gave an exaggerated sigh before saying, "I forgot, sarcasm is your default mode."

"Yeah, and 'psycho bitch' is _your_ default mode," I shot back disparagingly.

Then she laughed, calling down to the 'villain fledglings', "Oh, isn't she just _so_ funny? What a nice laugh, I really should thank her for that. Shade, thank her for me, would you."

"Love to," said the black guy—Shade, I suppose his name is—with an evil smirk.

Then he stood up and disappeared into the ground beneath him. Before I had a chance to figure out where the hell he'd gone, he sprung up out of the shadow by my feet and gave me a backhand to the face, sending me sprawling. I propped myself up slowly with my left arm and shook my head quickly to stop the ringing in my ears. I spat out a bit of blood and pushed myself up, careful not to use my right arm. Shade was still standing over me when I got to my feet. I looked up at him—he's a tall guy—and spat in his smug face. Of course, I wasn't thinking enough to dodge the inevitable backhand that followed that little defiant act. I had to shake my head a bit harder to stop the ringing, and I now had a mouthful of blood. Still had all my teeth, though.

My mother told Shade to get back to his seat as I stood up, which is a good thing because I probably would've squirted blood at him out of spite. I have to stop being so dumb!

"Have you reconsidered yet, Eve? We could be allies, partners even. I could really use your power on my side. Just imagine the things you could do if I taught you how to harness that power," she persuaded.

She looked at me expectantly, but I just rolled my eyes and spat out some more blood nonchalantly.

She scowled, "I don't need you on my side to use you, Eve. I'm trying to do you a favour. Join me, or we'll do things the hard way."

"What'd you do to Warren?" I asked, ignoring her request, "better yet, what're you going to do to the rest of us? And how did you get out of jail in the first place?"

Like all egocentric super-villains, she fell for it and started telling me all about her _ingenious_ plan.

"It was simple. I met Royal Pain in the jail cafeteria, and while she couldn't do things _instantly _with her powers neutralized, she _could_ figure out how to get my bracelet off. She could also modify it to your DNA, which was easy for me to get. All I had to do was scratch you and collect a small amount of your blood," she held up the bloody tissue from when I visited her, "Remember this? Yes, I see that you do. Of course, Royal Pain and I needed some…firepower… so we enlisted the help of Baron Battle. During 'outside time', we got the bracelets off and I teleported us out.

Royal Pain's old minions; Lash, Speed, and Penny, were eager to assist me with my plan, and Psyche was very good at keeping you in detention and out of the way. And everyone helped out to gather all our old enemies together. Will Stronghold, his family and friends, you and your siblings, Powers, and anyone else I thought would be a good recruit. They should be awake by now; Scyllia only gave them a small dose of that blackout potion of hers to knock them out. But of course, they can't help you, because they're locked up in the detention room. How ironic. Soon, they're going to be put in a machine that Royal Pain created, which is basically a less portable version of The Pacifier. They'll all be turned into babies, and we'll raise them to be our own personal villain army. They can't help you now. I have something _special_ in store for _you_."

"Did you're parents not give you a stuffed animal when you were little or something? Were you unloved, is that it?" I inquired dryly.

She restrained a snarl, shifting her gaze to something behind me instead and giving a brief nod. I turned around in time to get a close-up of the back of Warren's hand. If I thought Shade hit hard, it was nothing compared to Warren. I actually spun around once or twice before falling. I thought that I couldn't be in any more pain than I already was, but clearly, I was wrong. I got to my knees and shook my head even harder, but that didn't stop the ringing, or the spots floating across my vision. When Warren got splattered with red stuff in the process of my shaking my head, I realized that blood was practically streaming out of my mouth. I felt around with my tongue and found that several of the teeth on the left side of my face were loose.

"You know, Warren," I said dizzily, spitting out more blood, "I'm not so sure we're gonna work out. I just think it would be an abusive relationship."

Fortunately, he didn't smack me again because my mother must've motioned him back to his spot at the door. If I didn't stop with the comments I was going to get the teeth smacked right out of my head, which would be a bad thing because I personally like having a full set of teeth. I just couldn't help it. My mother was right; sarcasm _is_ my default mode. I got to my feet again with some difficulty—I was getting _seriously_ woozy—and turned around to face The Ghost and the rest of the villains.

When I eyed Shade warily to make sure he hadn't disappeared, I noticed that Lash had a pained expression on his face. I wiped blood off my chin with the back of my left hand and squinted at him, and then decided that it probably wasn't important and focused on my mother again. Well, I focused on her after blinking several times and giving my head a slight shake.

"Is that all you got?" I challenged, vaguely aware that my words were getting slurred.

Her mouth tightened and she looked at Warren again, but I beat her to it.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Give Eve another smack in the face. How's about I do it myself?" I said, now officially sounding like I was _very _drunk.

I smacked myself in the face lightly with my left hand and turned my head to the right dramatically. They all seemed at a loss for words, though Baron Battle looked like he wanted to burst out laughing, and some of the 'minions' might've giggled if my mother hadn't been glaring daggers.

"Thanks," I announced to the general group, "I'm here all week…unless I'm dead. In which case, I won't be. And I probably _will_ be dead. So…never mind that. Um…I think…I have a concussion…"

I sank to my knees as my legs gave out and looked up when my mother teleported to stand in front of me. She had that damn triumphant grin on her face, but I couldn't see any reason why it shouldn't be there. She'd won.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk," she said softly, sounding almost like she actually pitied me, "You may be a powerful girl, Eve, but you can't defeat me. And you can only be battered so much before you crack,"

My head nodded down, but I forced myself to look back up at her.

"Look at yourself now; you've fallen from grace. You're powerless. You're helpless. You are defeated,"

My chin sank back down to my chest and I couldn't lift it back up. Blackness began to creep from the edges of my vision.

"I gave you the chance you join me. You refused,"

I could barely see. The darkness was closing in.

"You have one last chance, Eve. Join me."

With my dying vision, I took aim for her boots and spat. The last thing I saw before the blackness was complete was her boot flying towards my face. Then, of course, I was out cold.

"_Scyllia, fix up her head, nothing else. But leave her with a migraine, we wouldn't want her being too coherent." _


	39. Power Source

Disclaimer: Anyone or anything that _wasn't_ in the movie is mine, and anyone or anything that _was_ in the movie is not.

Author's Note: Sorry it took so long, if anyone out there was still hoping I'd continue the story after all this time and hasn't completely forgotten about it. If that's the case, then I congratulate them on their patience. I've been trying to get this chapter done for a while, but things kept getting in the way, since I've been so busy and never have the time. Here it is though, and I'll try to get the next chapter done in less than half a year.

Chapter 39: Power Source

I woke up slowly, having to keep my eyes shut against the bright lights of wherever the hell I was. After a little bit of adjusting I was able to squint around at the surroundings. My head was pounding so badly that it took me a few moments to realize this wasn't the detention room that I was so used to. No, this was a different round room altogether; the walls made almost completely of glass, like a big display case. It took me another moment or so to see that _I_ was the display.

"So it wasn't a bad dream, then?" I asked the villains on the other side of the glass, my voice sounding slightly distorted in the confined space.

"No, Eve, it wasn't a dream," my mother laughed, then became serious again, "Now, this is your last chance. Join me, or else."

I stood up carefully because my back felt like it was on fire, defiantly questioning, "Or else what?"

"Or else you die," she answered simply, snapping her fingers at Royal Pain.

Her techno lackey jumped in surprise, then hurried to flick a switch on the side of my glass case. If I thought I was in pain before, it was nothing compared to I felt when she activated that machine. A searing, blinding, _maddening_ pain tore through my whole body, stemming from that cursed bracelet. A glowing blue mist was pulled out of it and upwards. It felt like tiny shards of glass were trying to force their way out of my veins. I howled in pain and fell down, clutching my wrist and practically convulsing. After what seemed like eternity it stopped. The pain continued for a few seconds before dwindling away, and I lay on the floor taking in ragged breaths.

"You said you weren't going to kill her!"

I weakly lifted my head as far I could to see what was going on. Lash was standing at the foot of the bleachers, staring up at The Ghost with his hands curled into fists at his sides. That was unexpected.

My mother glanced down at him briefly before focusing her attention on the torture device again, distractedly commanding, "Sit down, fool. I said I wouldn't kill her if _cooperated_. I told you to sit down!"

Lash glared up at her, as angry as I'd ever seen him before, and his voice shook slightly as he hesitantly uttered one word, "No."

Speed hauled Lash back into his seat roughly before he could actually annoy my very dangerous mother. He wasn't quite determined enough to get back up. I saw Speed and Psyche whispering furiously to him, but I can't read lips so I don't know what they said exactly. Seeing Lash's momentary rebellious act caused me to think of how Warren had turned on _me_. I scanned the room and saw him seated a few seats below his father. He appeared unfazed by the fact that they were killing me.

I recalled reading a detailed report of my mother's powers a long time ago, after she was imprisoned. She can manipulate people's minds, but to control someone this completely meant that some teeny, tiny part of them was willing. Some deep, dark part of Warren wanted to hurt me this bad…

"Well, Eve, how did that feel? Not too good, I imagine," my mother said casually, bringing me back to reality, "That's what will happen to you if you don't join me. You see, I need your infinite amount of power to run my Pacifier machine. I think that was your ice power just then. We pulled ice power _out of your body_. Imagine how much it will hurt when we try pulling out _electricity_. Or fire. Think about it; is being a little rebel worth all that pain?"

"Screw you," I yelled hoarsely, coughing in pain due to the remnant feeling of glass shards in my lungs, "You can't get me to join you by making me hate you even more than I already did."

She didn't seem to believe me, since she nonchalantly replied, "Well, well, well. We'll see about that. Royal, let's try her a few seconds longer than before."

Once again I felt like shards of glass were being pulled out of me, but I think it was actually shards of ice. I wasn't contemplating what it was at the time though, because the pain rendered thought impossible. It ended in what seemed a shorter time than before, leaving me gasping and shaking on the floor.

"Sue! What happened! Why'd it stop? Is it broken?"

I forced myself onto my elbows to see what was happening and found that my mother was livid. She was already striding down the bleachers towards Royal Pain, who was practically quivering as she divided her attention between the console in front of her and the fast-approaching, pissed-off super villain.

Royal Pain tried to assert some villain authority by protesting that her name wasn't Sue Tenny anymore, but nobody stands up to The Ghost, so by the time she reached the bottom of the bleachers, Royal Pain was stammering, "I-I don't know what happened! It was working fine and then it-it just stopped!"

My mother reached her and backhanded her hard enough to knock her off her feet. I guess she really likes smacking people with the back of her hand or something. Just the memory of all the backhands I'd suffered recently was almost enough to make me throw up, given that I already felt like I was going to die.

She turned to Warren and ordered him to take me out of the machine. He came down and pressed a button, causing a big gap to open in what I thought was seamless glass. He stepped into the dome and picked me up like I weighed nothing. Since I didn't have the energy to stand on my own, I didn't have the energy to smack him, much as I wanted to after my revelation. He dropped me on the floor a few feet from the machine and stood awaiting further instructions.

"I don't think it's broken. Maybe she ran out of ice power or something. Perhaps she has a certain _amount_ of each power, instead of a time limit like her dad. It should work on a different power. Really, it should," Royal Pain was hurriedly explaining things to my mother, causing her mood to switch from livid to thoughtful in an instant.

"A certain amount, hmmm? That might explain it," she mused, "Let's see if it works on someone else. Warren, get in the machine."

Warren was visibly surprised, and made no move towards the machine's doorway. Baron Battle was on his feet instantly, fire springing to life across his arms as if to mirror the furious expression on his face.

"You said you wouldn't hurt Warren, you bitch!" he yelled.

My mother looked off to the side for a second, trying to recall this, then replied nonchalantly, "Oh yes, I did say that didn't I? Well, I've said a lot of things I don't intend to follow through with. Sit back down, it's not like I'm planning to _kill_ him."

Instead of sitting down, Battle stormed down the bleachers, the flames on his arms growing until it looked like his hair was on fire, too. My mother rolled her eyes, like an angry man capable of throwing fire from his hands was just a minor nuisance that she shouldn't have to put up with.

I managed to sit up cross-legged with some effort, and remarked, "Now _there's_ a super-villain with some family morals. Why couldn't _I_ have such a caring super-villain parental unit?"

For once I didn't get smacked, and by then Battle was face to face with my mother, his fiery indignation against her ice-cold disdain.

"You _will_ keep your word about not harming my son," he growled.

"Or you'll what?" she challenged.

"I'll roast you alive," he answered angrily.

"You know that you can't. It'll go right through me," she replied coolly.

"I'll destroy your precious machine," he shot back.

"I'll have Sue build a new one," she countered.

"I'll kill her, then."

"I'll get a new technopath."

"I'll kill them, too."

"No, you won't."

"Yes, I will."

I started laughing, because it was so damn funny, all things considered. These were two of the most feared villains in history, and they were fighting like two kids on a playground. I was just waiting for one of them to say something like, "No times infinity." This was by far the most surreal thing I've ever witnessed, and I go to a school for kids with _super-powers_.

All the other bad guys who'd been sitting in the bleachers had slowly gravitated toward this conflict and were standing in a loose circle, waiting to see what would happen next. Baron Battle provided them plenty of entertainment with his next move. Before my mother had time to react, Battle smacked her in the face, leaving a charred handprint on her left cheek. My mother was shocked—how _dare_ someone smack _her_, the Reigning Queen of Evil—and everyone else was pretty shocked, too. Even Battle was shocked that he'd done that.

I broke the stunned silence that followed, shouting, "Whoo! Go Baron Battle!"

Once again, I didn't get smacked, because at the same moment my mother snapped out of her shock, the door to the gym burst open in a near-blinding shower of sparks and light. That was when all hell broke loose.


	40. Chaos

Disclaimer: Anyone or anything that _wasn't_ in the movie is mine, and anyone or anything that _was_ in the movie is not.

Author's Note: Sorry, I got distracted. I really suck at updating. Anyway, for anyone still reading this story, here's another chapter.

Chapter 40: Chaos

Principal Powers had just burst through the gym doors, flanked by a small army of super-powered teens. I was shocked, but my mother who, if you recall, was stunned by a slap in the face, was completely unfazed by this. Then again, perhaps she didn't notice. At the same moment that the door exploded, she launched herself at Baron Battle's throat. The other villains sprang into action, charging at the new arrivals. Pandemonium ensued, and I got out the way as well as I could on hands and knees—well, _hand_ and knees.

Since everyone was attacking everyone, I figured they'd forgotten all about me, but I was wrong. I had just reached the edge of the bleachers when I was hit in the right shoulder by a fireball. I crashed into the first row of bleachers, but after being in Royal Pain's machine, getting hit by a fireball didn't seem to hurt so much.

I didn't bother looking to see who was after me, seeing as how the only other pyro in the room was probably still busy fighting my mother. Warren was trying to kill me again. I started scrambling up the bleachers and ducked for cover when I heard the telltale _whoosh_ of another fireball being thrown.

After this fireball flew overhead I risked a look at the carnage. Baron Battle was fending off The Ghost, Will was fighting with Royal Pain, Psyche was making Layla tangle up Zach, Magenta, and Ethan with vines, Speed was tormenting Powers, and Beck was attempting to outstretch Lash. Several of the good guys were unconscious or experiencing severe nausea; I'm guessing that was Scyllia's doing. And lastly, Kyle had just tackled Warren.

I sank back behind the concealing bench, safe for the time being. That feeling was short-lived as I thought, 'Wait a second, where'd Shade go?'

Suddenly, I was pulled backwards into a shadow, emerging at the other end of the gym in a corner with a switchblade held to my throat.

Shade whispered menacingly in my ear, "Looks like thing are rapidly falling apart; I may have to jet before things get too serious. Before I go though, I'm gonna have myself a little fun. And since you seem to be the root of all this trouble, I think _you'll_ be my fun. Should've just joined us. I'm gonna make you _scream_."

"That's so cliché, you stole that line from Sabretooth—oww oww owww!" I yelped as the blade pressed into my skin.

Shade turned me around to face him, and in doing so removed the knife from my neck. I seized my chance and smashed his face with my forehead, which, in hindsight, probably hurt me as much as it hurt him. I was still clutching my head and stumbling away when he recovered. Before he'd gotten very far in my direction, however, he was punched out by and elongated arm wearing striped sleeves from behind me.

"No way," I exclaimed in disbelief as I turned around, "Aren't there teams anymore? Is this just a big free-for-all now?"

Lash stretched-flipped over to my side and pulled me behind a Save The Citizen obstacle; I think it was a dumpster.

"Listen, I never wanted you getting hurt in all this," he explained hurriedly, licking his lips nervously as he searched for his next words, "I just…I don't know, I guess I thought maybe you'd come with us, because she's your mom and all. That's stupid, I know, I wasn't thinking. Should've known you were too good and too stubborn…I messed up. Royal asked me and Speed to…and he was all for it, and he's my buddy and I…I didn't wanna look…look like a wuss. God, what've I done?"

"Um, we'll worry about that later, right now we've got to help them," I told him, slightly unnerved by the sight of Lash reduced to a babbling wreck, however briefly.

He composed himself, glanced down at my incapacitated wrist and raised a sarcastic eyebrow, causing me to amend my statement, "Yeah…maybe it'd be a better idea to just get out of here in one piece."

He nodded resolutely and directed, "You go around the side, and I'll try to cover you."

"Okay, good luck," I said, hesitating as I turned to leave, "And Lash? If we make it out of this alive, I may have to be nice to you from now on."

He flashed me the first genuine smile I'd ever seen from him before going sombre again and replying, "Great, maybe you can visit me when I'm in prison."

I opened my mouth to say something back, but he'd already jumped over the dumpster and back into the fray, so I waited a moment and dashed out from behind my cover to the next hiding place, which was a bettered mailbox. Good thing I'm not that big. I peeked around the corner of the mailbox to see if anyone had seen me, but they all seemed pretty busy fighting each other. Lash had his back to me, and seemed to be scanning the crowd as well. What was he looking for? The Ghost. Baron Battle was down, possibly dead, and my mother was nowhere to be seen.

I immediately looked behind me, half-expecting her to be standing right there ready to destroy me, but she wasn't anywhere. Anywhere that I could see, that is, but it was a safe bet she was still around there somewhere. I ran to my next piece of cover, Boomer's high chair. I ducked behind it and glanced back, still not being followed. I was about to pick another hiding spot when I had an epiphany. Boomer had to have some kind of remote to turn on the power-neutralization in the gym, didn't he? I began climbing up the back of his chair—very slowly and painfully—and had just made it to the top when I was pulled backwards and started getting dizzy and weak.

I looked down and saw my mother holding my ankle, smirking and evidently using her energy drain on me. My vision was getting blurry. I tried to shake her off as I frantically searched Boomer's chair for a switch, or anything to bash my mother in the head with. Either would've sufficed. My hand closed around a remote control just before I lost my grip on the chair and fell down to the floor.

I began madly pushing buttons, hoping I'd hit the right one before I passed out. The scoreboard turned on, and the gym floor began parting to reveal the swimming pool underneath. And then everything stopped. Well, not exactly, but I found the right button, so all powers ceased. Speed tripped and flew into a wall, Layla stopped strangling her friends with vines, Lash's arms snapped back to normal, knocking him down with the recoil, and Kyle got his leg stuck phased through a brick wall. I stopped getting weak, so The Ghost had no powers, too.

Everyone seemed frozen by this new development, and several of them fell into the swimming pool as it opened. I snapped out of it first and kicked my mother in the face, successfully freeing my ankle as I skittered away on all fours. People were fighting again by the time I got up. Without their powers, many of the villains weren't putting up much of a fight, though Royal Pain was engaged in unarmed combat with Principal Powers.

Warren was off to the side looking dazed, and I wondered if he was himself again now that my mother's powers were neutralized. I approached him tentatively, hoping he wouldn't attack me.

"Warren?" I called out cautiously, stepping over the unconscious body of Shade.

He gave his head a shake and looked up at me slowly, recognition dawning on his face. He stumbled towards me unsteadily and I backed up a few steps—once again almost tripping over Shade—until I was out of reach, still slightly suspicious that he was going to attack me again.

Warren stopped and gave me a bewildered look, but then he looked past me and yelled, "Eevee, duck!"

I automatically did as he said, before my distrustful side could suggest that it was possibly a diversion. However, it wasn't a diversion, and I went down just into time to avoid being stabbed in the back by my mother. What nice family relations I have, I though bitterly as I jumped back to my feet. Before The Ghost could take another swing at me with her small dagger, Warren tried to hold her back. Little did he know, my mother was an expert at unarmed combat. She took him down before he could so much as give a shout of surprise.

I had no time to think; she was going to kill Warren unless I did something. I reached down and picked Shade's open switchblade up off the floor as my mother raised her dagger. It gleamed wickedly in the light as time came to a sickening crawl. Warren tried to grab my mother's wrist as her arm came down, his eyes widening in dread when he found that he couldn't stop her.

Just before her dagger plunged into Warren's eye, my mother stopped suddenly, shocked. She reached behind her slowly, feeling the knife buried in her back with numb fingers. She brought her hand in front of her face, gaping at the blood on her fingers with a look of confusion on her face. Still in slow motion, she fell sideways, her eyes glazing over as she hit the floor.

I stood there behind her frozen, staring down at my shaking hands, which were covered in bright red smears. I think someone might've said my name, but I couldn't really hear anything. I distantly felt somebody touch my arm, but when I tried to tear my eyes from the blood it was too much for me. My knees gave way and I collapsed, sinking gratefully into blackness where I didn't have to think about what I'd just done.


	41. Acting Crazy

Disclaimer: Anyone or anything the _wasn't_ in the movie is mine, and ayone or anything that _was_ in the movie is not.

Author's Note: God, I suck at updating. What can I say, I had writer's block. Inspiration hit me yesterday, though whether or not that inspiration is any good remains to be seen. Anyway, here's the next chapter, for anyone who's still reading this story. God bless you patient, patient souls.

Chapter 41: Acting Crazy

_I had no time to think; she was going to kill Warren unless I did something. I reached down and picked Shade's open switchblade up off the floor as my mother raised her dagger. It gleamed wickedly in the light as time came to a sickening crawl. Warren tried to grab my mother's wrist as her arm came down, his eyes widening in dread when he found that he couldn't stop her. _

_Just before her dagger plunged into Warren's eye, my mother stopped suddenly, shocked. She reached behind her slowly, feeling the knife buried in her back with numb fingers. She brought her hand in front of her face, gaping at the blood on her fingers with a look of confusion on her face._

_Suddenly everyone disappeared, except for the Ghost and me. Instead of falling like she was supposed to—like dead people are supposed to—she stood straighter. Pulling the knife out her back slowly, she held it up for the light to reflect liquidly on the blood still oozing down the blade, a smirk on her face._

"_You're—you're supposed to be dead... You can't..." I murmured incredulously, rooted to the spot._

_She sneered, "You think you can kill the Ghost? I'll have my revenge!"_

_She seized me by the wrist, and everything was forgotten as the pain rolled over me._

I was jolted into wakefulness by a sharp pain in my wrist. I sat up abruptly and held my wrist up for examination, dismayed to find that evil power-neutralizing manacle still held firmly in place by needles stabbed deeply into my flesh. Getting up slowly from the cot I'd been passed out on, I fought the nearly overwhelming urge to vomit caused partly by the pain and partly by the recollection of all the events that had transpired since I'd been neutralized by the bracelet.

"Oh God," I groaned, voice cracking as I felt my throat getting tighter by the second, "I… k-killed my—my own mother…"

The moment I spoke the nurse turned from her desk in surprise, exclaiming, "Oh, you're finally awake! And don't you think about that for a second, you did the right thing. The painkillers are probably wearing off; I'll give you another shot."

I stood there numbly as she bustled to a cupboard, chatting as she worked, "Honestly, you shouldn't be out of bed, you've lost a great deal of blood, and overexerted yourself, too. It's a wonder you can stand at all. Sit down," I sat, "I cleaned you up a bit and did what I could for all your injuries, but I could only do so much for all the blows to the head and mouth, and that little torture contraption on your wrist," I glanced at it, "Is beyond my skill to remove. We'll have to get you to a proper hospital or lab to get it off you, we just haven't had time. Your friends are probably outside in the waiting room, I told them to go eat something but they should be back by now. I may let them in a couple at a time to see you; they're very worried."

As I sat on the cot, her words washing over me barely heard, my anxiety began to increase. By the time she strode towards me, a needle of clear liquid held up in one hand, I was on the verge of panic. I had no idea why. Without thinking, I tried to teleport away, only to find the bracelet still cutting me off from my powers. The nurse made to sterilize a spot on my arm with a cotton ball, and I just snapped.

"Don't fucking touch me!" I shouted, whirling away from the shocked nurse and stumbling towards the door backwards.

"Eve!" she called out as I spun around and threw open the door, alarm and reproach evident in her voice.

I flung myself unsteadily out the door and slammed it behind me. I turned to escape from the waiting room as well, and ran right into Layla. Relief and concern somehow managed to flood her face simultaneously at the sight of me and she reached out to hug me. Concern fully replaced relief, however, as I recoiled from her and staggered back hastily. My gaze darted around the room like that of a cornered animal, taking in the people sitting, standing, or frozen somewhere in between. It vaguely registered in the back of my mind that Warren and Lash weren't there.

I took advantage of the stunned silence and lurched hurriedly for the door to the hall before Layla could try to grab me again. I burst into the hallway and ran, stumbling a lot because my legs could barely hold me up.

I didn't even know which way I was going—I just had to get away; away from all the people. _Fragile people... so easy to snuff out the light in their eyes. All it took was a slight movement of the wrist—such a small thing—and then blood is pouring. Pouring over a little knife, over my hands. Blood on my hands... Oh God, I'm a murderer! Light help me! Murderer..._

Then I was running faster, trying to escape my own thoughts. I could hear people behind me calling me, chasing me. A door—the door to the principal's office—ahead of me to the left opened, and Principal Powers stuck her head out to see what all the commotion was about. I ran past before she could stop me and caught a glimpse of Warren and Lash springing out of chairs in her office. I tried to wring more speed out of my failing legs—even in the state I was, I realized those two were not slow—but I'd tapped all my energy reserves. I slammed through the front doors of Sky High and out into the blinding sunshine. The steps caught me by surprise and I tripped, falling to the bottom and scraping myself up in the process. I shook my head and looked back to see Warren bearing down on me. Fleeting images of being chased down the corridors, dodging fireballs flashed before me and I was once again gripped by fear. I scrambled off the ground and bolted for the edge.

_Just end it and you won't hurt anyone anymore. A short fall—like tripping—and it's over._ I stopped at the very edge of the floating campus and looked down at the clouds.

"No," I said slowly, "no—no I'm not—can't jump—won't—"

I heard my name whispered in my ear by—but it couldn't be…

I looked up apprehensively and saw my mother standing right next to me, the same malevolent smirk on her face as the last time I saw her. She reached out to touch me and I automatically took a step backwards, more afraid of her pale hand connecting with me than death. There was no ground left, and I was stepping back into nothingness. I was falling backwards in slow motion, still staring at her in dumb disbelief. Then I blinked and she was gone, if she was ever really there in the first place. The spell broken, time sped up again as I grabbed in vain at thin air; off the edge now and falling fast, with no teleportation to save me this time.

Before I had time to contemplate my imminent death, however, my fall was stopped, jarring me so badly my teeth snapped together painfully. I looked down and recognized Lash's elastic stripe-sleeved arms thoroughly wrapped around me. I was pulled back up onto solid ground. When I still wasn't released I began to struggle against my restraints, trying to break free. Lash held me tighter than ever, and I realized why when I spotted the nurse hurrying towards us across the lawn. I was going to be tranquilized. Looking up at Lash beseechingly, I found his face a mask of grim concentration, refusing to look into my eyes. I didn't even feel the prick of the needle in my arm through all the other pain I was suffering.

I was drifting off, and Lash was loosening his grip as my eyelids grew heavier; too heavy to keep open.

I grabbed weakly at his sleeve, murmuring feverishly, "Did you see her? She was right there, did you… did you see… she was right… right there…"

Then I lost consciousness, blissfully escaping from all the worried faces staring down at me.


	42. Institutionalized

Author's Note: To anyone still reading this, I'm really sorry for taking forever to update

Disclaimer: Anyone or anything that _wasn't _in the movie is mine, and anyone or anything that _was_ in the movie is obviously not.

Author's Note: To anyone still reading this, I'm really sorry for taking forever to update. I was very busy, then my laptop was stolen (and on it the half-finished new chapter), then my internet failed, and when I finally got it back I was going through a really rough time. I just couldn't bring myself to write. I was sitting at work doing nothing today, and oddly enough, the songs Meds - Placebo, and The Heart's Filthy Lesson - David Bowie, inspired me to write a new chapter. Sorry, but it's getting darker. But I figure it isn't fair to keep you guys waiting forever, so here goes.

Chapter 42: Institutionalized

"Come on, Eve, it's been four weeks. Don't you think you're being a bit ridiculous?"

I slowly turned away from looking out the window to give Beck a humourless deadpan stare.

She rolled her eyes, continuing, "You're not injured. You're not crazy. Everyone is worried sick because you won't come home and you won't let your friends visit. You've got to snap out of it. You are not _insane_!"

I glanced around the room with an exaggerated raise of my eyebrows, replying sarcastically, "Really? You know, maybe I'm wrong, but I thought the mental institute is where they house the crazies…"

"You know they only brought you here because you had a little… episode."

"A _psychotic_ episode," I retorted.

"You were _upset_!" she yelled, "It was just shock or stress or something. You're fine now. And you're the only one keeping you here."

"Because I've snapped," I answered matter-of-factly.

"You didn't snap," Beck argued, exasperated, "You just broke down for a bit. It's understandable. You were forced to kill your—"

I winced, and she cut off what she was going to say.

"Look," she said quietly, getting up from the table, "No offence, but I'm getting tired of this. You'd be better off at home, and you'd be better off if you'd stop shutting out your friends. There's nothing wrong with you, but I'm done trying to convince you."

She gathered her jacket from where she'd flung it on the back of a chair and went to the door, pausing with her hand on the doorknob.

"If you don't come to your senses, I'm going to let Warren come visit. God knows he's asked enough," she muttered the last as she walked out the door.

That threat froze me in my seat, and Beck was long gone before I thought to reply. I slumped back in the chair, trying to think of what to do about this new development. I caught a glimpse of someone behind me in the mirror and whirled around, falling off the chair and sprawling on the ground. No one was there.

"She's not there. She's dead, she's not there. You're just imagining things," I told myself as I picked myself up off the floor.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw her again. My mother. As always, as soon as I looked, she was gone. Never there. This is why I wouldn't leave…well, one reason why. All day long, all _night_ long, I'd see her in the mirror or on the edge of my vision. I'd hear her whispering, or feel a touch on my shoulder. Any time I'd try to catch her in full sight, or strain to understand the whispered words, there'd be nothing. I'd be all alone. I'd still feel like I was being watched though. It was keeping me up at night; I was getting even twitchier from the lack of sleep. In the beginning, I thought it was just post-traumatic stress. But I'd come to believe I was actually just losing my mind.

I didn't tell anyone about this, of course. Sure, I figured I belonged in the mental institute, but I didn't want to be _trapped_ here—bouncing around a padded room, wearing a straitjacket, and high on every drug under the sun. I was in a room that looked more like a hotel suite than a cell, complete with an adjoining bathroom and a floral bedspread, and that was just fine with me. So I kept my mouth shut about that little detail when I talked to my siblings, and especially when I talked to one of the many psychiatrists I was forced to see. Each and every one of them said I was fine, just a little upset, maybe a bit depressed. Sunshine and chocolate would make me feel better. Clearly, they are not very good at their jobs. Or I'm just a very good actress.

Besides Kyle, Beck, and the doctors, I wouldn't talk to anyone else. I'd talked to my dad once in the beginning, but then I'd put him on the list of people I wouldn't allow in my room too. When he looked at me… it wasn't that he was mad at me or anything, he just looked at me like I was… different. He didn't mean to, but I could see it. And I didn't like how it reminded me of how I'm different. As for everyone else on the list… well, I had my reasons.

Trying to ignore the feeling of someone glaring at my back, I went back to worrying about whether or not Beck actually _could_ follow through on her threat to get Warren in here. I didn't think she had the authority to go over my head about letting visitors in, but my dad might. Warren was at the top of the list of people I wouldn't see. Beck said he was back to his normal self, and he was begging to see me, but I couldn't do it. I couldn't get over the fact that some part of Warren, however small, wanted to hurt me so bad that he'd tossed me into that torture machine without a moment's hesitation, nearly killing me. I'd been right all along: I didn't know him, couldn't trust him. I couldn't stand to see him, and so I couldn't stand to see his friends, either. Because when it came right down to it, that's what they were: _his_ friends. They were _his_ friends before I ever came along; they were _his_ friends first. Not mine. I didn't want them telling me he's sorry, he wants to see me, I should let him visit, etc. No. Any time the thought crept into my head that I missed them, that maybe I could let one or two in, like Layla or Magenta, I forced the thought down.

'It's just the depression talking,' I told myself. 'I've got to go back to being the way I was when I was all alone, back to the first time people I thought were my friends turned on me. I have to remember that anger, bitterness, cynicism— _those_ are my friends. That's what protects me. Why did I ever change?'

A little history lesson may be necessary to explain this sudden change of mindset. Suffice it to say, I did not have the happiest childhood. When my mother turned villain all those years ago, the concerned parents in my neighbourhood had told their children not to play with me, talk to me, _look_ at me. Like villainy is genetic, or worse, _contagious_. Naturally, this was very upsetting for young me. My family had enough problems without me adding any, so I did what I thought was best and bottled things inside. Sarcasm and rage became my coping devices. I remained cheerful on the outside, and my family never noticed I stayed away from everyone else. I was possibly the angriest person on the planet, but no one could tell. I wasn't about to whine to someone about my feelings and look weak; I kept my anger and resentment to myself.

I thought that over the years my anger had somehow dissipated; I could make conversation, act charming if I really tried. I was just shy because I had little social experience. But during this hospital stay, I realized that that anger never went away. It just went dormant. I felt it again, clawing at my insides like a caged animal. And I decided I would have to learn again how to use it to handle things. I thought I was doing a pretty good job so far.

I sat on the edge of the bed, tracing the pattern of the scar left behind by that demon power-neutralizing bracelet. Even once it was removed and I'd gotten my healing power back, it had left a scar all around my wrist, and I could even see where each needle had sunk in. The scar should've faded away, but it was still very much there. It still looked raw.

I heard the whispering again and my head shot up. I scanned the room. No one. I felt a cool hand brush my neck, and jumped away from the bed. I felt a hand try to grab my arm and I jerked further away, terrified. The whispering started again, sounding to me like hundreds of cockroaches slithering over one another. I shuddered as I spun around, trying to find her. The Ghost was staring at me through the mirror. This was different. She wasn't going away, the whispering wouldn't stop. It was getting louder; a multitude of voices whispering, begging, screaming at me. I covered my ears and shook violently, uncontrollably. I could see her in the mirror, standing behind me, that evil smirk on her face.

I was murmuring over and over again, "You're not real, you're not real…"

I turned around and there she was right in front of me. I could smell the blood on her.

"You're not real. I'm hallucinating. Go away, you're not real. Go away," I ordered shakily, huddling into myself.

The voices grew louder; I couldn't hear myself over the whirlwind of unintelligible commands, shrieks, pleading. The lights flickered fitfully as she loomed over me.

"You're not real; you're dead. You're _dead_, go away," I moaned, "Leave me alone!"

Abruptly the voices stopped, leaving a silence like a vacuum.

She leaned in to whisper in my ear, quite clearly, "_I've still got use for you_."

She grabbed my wrist, just like in my dream, and all my senses were shot in an explosion of white hot pain.

I think I screamed.


	43. Lost

Disclaimer: Anyone or anything that _wasn't_ in the movie is mine, and anyone or anything that _was_ in the movie is obviously not.

Author's Note: I've said it once, and I'll say it again; I suck at updating. Sorry to anyone still reading; waiting on updates like this. Anyway, the story is taking a dark turn for a while. If you could, review and tell me what you think so far. I'd appreciate it. Carrying on.

Chapter 43: Lost

I opened my eyes, and found myself in a playground, on a swing set, in the middle of the night. I was in mid-swing, actually, and I was so surprised to find myself in a park instead of my familiar room that I lost my balance and let go of the swing. I went sailing through the air and landed face-first in the gritty sand. Groaning from the pain in my freshly scoured face, I floundered blindly in the sand trying to get up. I felt ill, and my head was spinning as if I'd just stolen a power or two. I finally managed to stand up, only to lose my balance again and pitch right back onto my face. I lay still for a moment, holding my head in my hands and spitting out sand. I felt like my whole body was coursing with electricity, and I was honestly worried that my head would just float away. I'd never felt so sick before.

Slowly, slowly, I tilted my head to take in the surroundings. Even that small motion made me alarmingly dizzy. Ignoring the warning signs, I once again tried to get to my feet. An overwhelming wave of nausea crashed down on me. I lurched over to a garbage can I'd seen a few feet away and promptly threw up everything that had ever been in my stomach. When I finally stopped puking, I fell back on the ground, weak as a kitten. Using up the last of my energy, I crawled off the sandy portion of the playground and collapsed onto the cool grass. Beads of sweat stood out all over my skin, and a light breeze soon had me freezing. Shivering uncontrollably, I curled up into a ball on the grass and held my head. I wanted to squeeze my eyes shut tight, but every time I closed them I got the disorienting feeling I was tumbling through space, and my stomach objected. So I forced my eyes open and stared fixedly at the grass inches from my nose. I stayed in that position for what felt like hours, not daring to move.

I couldn't collect my thoughts; every time I tried to think, they slid away like beads of water on polished glass. I grasped onto what I could—I was _not_ where I should be, I had no idea where this was, and something was very wrong with me. I eventually realized that I was not wearing the jeans and shirt I remembered wearing last. I was dressed very strangely, and I was _cold_. I was wearing a flowing black silk dress and knee-high leather boots. The observation that I looked like a dark version of Alice from Resident Evil flitted across my mind and was gone.

A dull pain in my side brought to my attention the fact that I was lying on something. I felt around until I discovered it was a purse, the strap looped over my opposite shoulder. I tried to consider the pros and cons of shifting to get the purse, but couldn't gather together a coherent list, so I counted to three and hurriedly fumbled to get the bag out from under me. Once again a crushing dizziness came over me, and I fought the urge to vomit. Clutching the semi-freed purse to my chest, I lay very still and waited for the spinning in my head to subside.

The purse strap was still twisted and tangled around me, but I could get at the purse without trouble. Very, _very_ slowly, I unclenched my arms and worked on the purse clasp. It took a while because my fingers just refused to do what I told them to. Finally, I managed to open the purse, and—because it would be unpleasant if I moved my head to look inside—began pulling things out and holding them up to my face to examine them.

A hairbrush—simple enough. A cherry red cell phone—curious, since I didn't own a phone. I'd get back to it later. A package of Juicy Fruit. A… bottle of rum? There was about an ounce of dark liquid left in the two six. The sight of alcohol made my queasy stomach flop over, and I tossed it away from me. Well, that was one mystery solved—I wasn't sick; I was _drunk out of my mind_. There was also an empty mickey of vodka in the spacious purse. I threw that away too. An empty plastic bag. A chocolate chip cookie from Subway. A set of keys. A few receipts. A lighter. A box of cigarettes? Half full… I shuddered and threw that over by the bottles.

Aha! A wallet. It was time to see who's purse this was. It was… mine? Inside the wallet were several neatly organised wads of cash—American, Canadian, and… Euros? There were also half a dozen different sets of ID. Rebecca Groulx; Rachelle Gomez; Rita Green… different names, different places, same face. My face. What the hell was going on?

The wallet dropped out of my numb fingers, scattering the bizarre ID cards in the grass. I shook like a leaf and hugged my knees to my chest. The last thing I could remember was Beck leaving that afternoon and then… and then…

And then I was falling off that swing. It was sometime at night, so that was at least a whole afternoon unaccounted for. Had I blacked out? Snapped worse than I thought I had? Couldn't think straight…

The time. What time was it? I didn't have a watch. Somehow, it occurred to me to check the cell phone for the time. I picked it up and flipped it open, sprawling out on my back. The background on the phone was a fluffy orange kitten in a basket. Odd, but I was so far beyond confused, I couldn't even be surprised anymore. I would've reacted the same if it was a picture of Jesus doing coke. It took a few moments for me to find and focus on the time. It was 3:12 am.

"Great," I told the phone aloud, my words slightly slurred, "Now tell me where the _hell_ I _am_."

Sudden inspiration shined for a moment through my mind's alcohol-induced haze. This was my train of thought: I have a phone; people talk on phones; _I_ need to talk to someone; I should call them… using this phone that I have! Brilliant. I'd call my house. Only problem was that I couldn't _quite_ remember the number. I started doing trial and error. Nine wrong numbers later, I finally got the right number.

"Hello?"

"Kyle?" I asked tentatively.

"Eve!"

"Oh crap. Warren," I acknowledged flatly.

"Eve, where are you?!"

"No, no, I'm _not_ talking to _you_," I said irritably, "Put Kyle on. Or Beck."

"But—"I heard a sigh on the other end, then "Fine."

A moment later, Kyle had replaced him on the phone, "Eve, you alright? Where are you?"

I was so relieved by his voice; I was breaking down, "No, I—I don't think I'm alright. I'm s-sick. And it's spinning… I don't know— Ahhh!"

The phone beeped loudly in my ear, and I accidently flung it away when the sudden noise made me twitch. Forgetting the repercussions of fast movement, I lunged after the phone. Fortunately my fingers curled around the shiny red device before the world spun end over end. I held tight to the phone with one hand and braced myself with the other as I discovered there _had_ been a bit left in my stomach. Mostly bile. As soon as I stopped retching I rolled away to a fresh patch of grass and wiped at the sweat on my forehead, putting the phone back to my ear. Kyle was yelling.

"—Eve! Eve, answer! God, say something!"

I gulped some air before replying shakily, "I-I just… this ph-phone is dying. It beeped and… I'm s-so cold."

Kyle regained some of his calm, "Eve, how sick are you? Focus. _Where_ are you?"

"I don't— don't know…" I said, trying not to panic, "I don't know where here _is_. I'm in a p-park. I could be _anywhere_! There's a wallet…"

"Focus, Eve. Focus. Can you try teleporting home? Try."

Obediently, I tried. I ended up teleporting a few feet away and somehow lighting a patch of grass on fire.

"Oh God, I lit the grass on fire!" I squeaked into the phone.

"What? Ummm… get away from the fire. We'll try to find you. I'll try that locating a person by picturing them thing. Don't use your pow—"

Kyle's voice was abruptly cut off. I looked at the dead screen of the cell phone. Attempting to turn it on again failed. The battery was dead.


	44. Lack Of Control

Disclaimer: Anyone or anything that _wasn't_ in the movie is mine, and anyone or anything that _was_ in the movie is obviously not.

Author's Note: Anyone not new to this story should know how bad I am at updating. Not even gonna bother explaining. Anyway, sorry about that, here's a new chapter. It gets... interesting.

Chapter 44: Lack Of Restraint

I stared dumbly at the phone, unable to accept this newest bit of bad luck.

"No. No, no, no no NO!!" I yelled, shaking the phone, willing it to turn back on and show me that ridiculous kitty background again.

Despite my wishes, the phone stayed just as dead. Frustrated, I threw it as far away as I could. Considering my arms felt like electrified jelly, that wasn't very far. Coincidentally, that landed the evil little device right in the middle of that patch of grass I'd lit on fire. I realized belatedly that I might still have use for that phone. I tried to crawl towards that fire to put it out, but my head started spinning so I ended up curled in a ball with my head between my knees close enough to the flame to feel the heat beating on the top of my head. As I was fighting this most recent wave of nausea—not to mention _panic_—Kyle must have succeeded in teleporting to me. Unfortunately he wasn't alone.

I lifted my head just enough to see Kyle's familiar jeans and shoes, albeit from the unusual point of view of being close enough to notice that he could use some new shoelaces. He was putting out my little grass fire with a fire extinguisher. Clever Kyle must've snatched it from the wall by the kitchen before he came to save me. Since Kyle was preoccupied, it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out who was shaking me, asking frantically if I was alright. And since I couldn't lift my head without feeling nauseous, having someone shake my whole body made me feel… somewhat less than peachy.

"Let go of me, you _twat_!" I exploded, flailing my arm back in a half shooing, half hoping to connect with his head and cause pain kind of motion.

I crawled a few feet away; away from the dying fire and disorienting white cloud of flame retardant chemicals, and especially away from Warren. I fought against a fresh bout of retching, convulsing as my stomach tried to expel things that weren't there anymore. Having nothing in me didn't stop my insides from trying to tear themselves apart though. Basically, it felt like I was going to puke up a kidney. Not fun.

Once I'd finished coughing up a final bit of nothing, I rolled away from Warren again and more or less collapsed on a blessedly cool piece of grass. In a few moments my teeth were chattering and I was covered in goose bumps. Once again, Warren showed up at my side and reached for me. I tried swatting him away weakly to no avail, although mercifully he didn't try shaking me again. He just lifted me up by the shoulders gently and settled me in his lap with his arms around me. I was planning on struggling, but he was just so _warm_. Against my own half-formed will I snuggled deeper into his chest and tucked my head under his chin. Damn traitorous body… I'd struggle. I just had to be able to move my limbs. I'd get around to it. Eventually.

Now that I was surrounded by warmth, I was starting to doze off. Through heavy-lidded eyes I watched Kyle finish putting out the fire. He threw down the fire extinguisher and sat on the grass in front of Warren and I. They were both talking, and it took me a while to figure out they were both talking to me. I blinked up at them drowsily.

"Eevee, what happened?" Kyle questioned earnestly, brushing damp strands of hair away from my scraped, sweaty, dirty, and probably green-tinged face.

It took me a minute or so to gather together my very illuminating response, "I have no idea."

I felt Warren lean over me and tensed for a second, but he just bluntly remarked, "You smell like booze."

Kyle's eyebrows shot up and he asked incredulously, "Are you _drunk_?"

I couldn't resist. "Yeah…so? Stupid…"

Kyle's eyebrows dropped back down and he looked about as serious as I'd ever seen him. Tough crowd.

"Not funny, Eve."

I let out a strangled laugh, managing to be dryly sarcastic yet completely sloshed, "No, it really isn't."

Warren silently handed me a piece of gum, rested his chin back on my head and murmured, "Eve, what did you _do_?"

I gladly accepted the gum, unwrapping it as I tried to vocalize my constantly shifting thoughts, "I really don't know. I—I was in my room and then—then I was on that swing there…" I swallowed, the thought of that pendulum motion made me feel ill again, "then I fell. And I've pretty been trying to vomit out my internal organs since then… Can't remember what happened… Must've been some _weird_ shit though. Can't focus… Just wanna curl up and die."

I chewed carefully as Kyle sat there thoughtfully digesting the information. My stomach didn't react badly to the minty taste; the gum actually made me feel a lot better by getting the sour taste out of my mouth. The idea of asking Warren if he knew that from personal experience or just intuition flitted across my mind and was gone. A chill breeze sprung up, making the film of sweat clinging to my skin feel like a mask. I buried my face into the soft cloth of Warren's shirt. He smelled nice.

"We should take you home instead of sitting here trying to figure things… where are we, anyway?" Kyle asked, standing up.

"Dunno," I mumbled into Warren's shirt.

"Maybe I should look into that before we go…" Kyle trailed off, wandering away.

Warren started absently running his fingers through my hair, pushing it away from my face. It felt good. Some thought floated up out of the depths of my blurry mind as to why it should, in fact, _not_ feel good. I just couldn't seem to pull it together enough to comprehend what that thought could be. I tried to focus, but all my nerve endings seemed to be coursing with energy. I felt acutely aware every sensation: the texture of the slightly dewy grass under my outstretched legs, every inch of pebbled bare skin that the cool breeze blew across, the deliciously smooth feeling of the mysterious silk dress I was wearing, and every single part of my body that was in contact with Warren's, bare or no. The back of my neck and my ears in particular felt like they were burning. All this made it very hard to concentrate.

When I stopped trying to remember what I was trying to think of and just focused on the sensation, it got more intense. I could smell the soap he used and the scent of his skin underneath. Could practically taste it. He was wearing either a sleeveless or short-sleeved shirt—I hadn't actually looked up at him even once—and everywhere his skin touched mine it felt like I was melting. I couldn't _not_ notice anymore. It was getting harder to breathe; I was doing my best not to pant. I was so aware that it was almost painful, the back of my neck actually ached with sensation. I was getting flushed, I could tell. Some part of me said this could be embarrassing; I tried to stop myself and focus on the ground, but that painful pleasurable feeling wouldn't allow me to focus. My hands, resting on his chest, itched with the desire to slip under his shirt to feel more bare skin, and it was all I could do to restrain myself. I felt something in me tighten and shut my mouth to smother a sort of moan, almost a whimper. Warren heard it anyway.

"Eve, You okay?" he asked, concern in his voice as he shifted to tilt my head up and look down at my face.

Though it felt like my skin was singing with energy, it was so hard to move at all. In the interest of restraint, however, I lifted my left hand up so I could bite my index finger. Had to do something to stop myself. Couldn't feel it anyway, oddly enough. He was so damn hot. He was wearing a dark red muscle shirt, so I could see the curves of his shoulders and it was so hard to keep from running my hand across them and into the shirt. His hair was tied back like he'd been at work but a few strands had fallen out to frame his face, and I had to bite down a little hard to keep my hands still. The other hand was already balled into a fist clenching the hem of his shirt. His deep, dark eyes held all the concern he tried to filter out of his voice as well as that ever present something else, and I could see a hint of his pearly white teeth as he bit down lightly on his perfect lower lip. I looked up at him despairingly, feeling like I was drowning. _No, no, no_, I thought to myself vaguely. _I'm sure there's a reason why this is wrong. Just can't… quite…remember…_

He pulled a cloth out of his pants pocket and wiped most of the grime off my face. Should've at least _stung_. Couldn't feel a thing. His brow anxiously furrowed a bit more as he put the cloth away again, eyes never shifting from my face.

"Eve?" he asked again, gently prying my finger out from between my teeth.

He set my hand in my lap and reached out to touch my cheek. I've only got so much self-control when I'm _not_ drunk out of my mind; I wasn't able to take this anymore. My hand slid up under his shirt to feel the stomach muscle underneath. Warren squeezed his eyes shut and made a little sound in his throat, tangling his fingers into my hair reflexively. I leaned up to brush my lips along the line of his jaw as my hands—the right one had broken free—travelled farther up his bare chest under the shirt. He shivered, clutching the back of my head and pulling me up as his other hand slid down to the small of my back and pulled me into his body. I had time to gasp and then he was kissing me. Well, I was kissing him back just as forcefully, against the wishes of that little voice screaming in the back of my head.

Suddenly Warren pulled back, holding me away by my upper arms. My lips were still burning with the feel of his.

"Eve, I can't do this to you," he said, sorrow and lust warring across his face, "You're not thinking straight, you're not yourself, and this is _definitely_ taking advantage of you. I can't—won't do that."

"But I want you to," I breathed, sliding my hands across the smooth bare skin of his back and pulling him in.

Apparently his self-control isn't much better than mine, because he let me back in. I bit his lower lip lightly and he shuddered. One of his hands slid down my side to my thigh, fingers hesitantly curling under the edge of my dress. I licked briefly across his teeth and then moved to the spot on his neck just below his ear, panting. His fingers twitched up a few inches. I bit gently and sucked less gently. He gasped, fingers nearly rending the silk as he clutched at the dress's hem desperately, trying to control himself.

Abruptly Kyle's dry voice interrupted, "Well, this is awkward."


	45. Home At Last

Disclaimer: Anyone or anything that _wasn't_ in the movie is mine, and anyone or anything that _was_ in the movie is obviously not.

Author's Note: Actually kinda wrote this back in January, but there were computer troubles so my laptop was gone for a month. And then I forgot. Yeah... my bad. Anyway, new chapter!

Chapter 45: Home At Last

I blinked up at Kyle dumbly while my brain painstakingly processed what he'd just said and what it implied, while Warren, being infinitely more sober, immediately snatched his hands back and flushed beet red.

"You're not wrong," was what I came up with.

Finally having caught up to the situation, I jerked myself out of Warren's lap, which unfortunately was one of those fast movements I shouldn't have been making. I curled up into a ball on the cold grass and held my stomach for a few minutes, and managed to not start dry heaving again. With my head between my knees I asked Kyle if he'd figured out where we were, and silently congratulated myself for remembering what we'd been talking about not yet five minutes before.

"Well, apparently we're in Edmonton, Alberta. Why on earth you're here, I don't know. Younger drinking age, perhaps... But, it's the middle of the night, and you're freezing, so we'll work on that later and just take you home. We'll work on all that—stuff—later..."

I could tell by Kyle's tone that since he didn't know what to make of this new development he'd walked in on, he was going to put it on the back burner for a while as well. Good man. I felt Kyle take hold of my shoulder, and next thing I knew there was familiar carpet replacing the cold grass. Judging by the design, I figured we were in the living room of my house. I was so happy to be home that I could've cried tears of joy, if I was sure crying wouldn't somehow cause me to throw up again.

"Oh glorious, glorious carpet..." I murmured, my nose less than an inch away from it.

I heard my father's voice somewhere above, "Eve, I'm so glad you're okay! Umm, carpet?"

I lifted my head up slowly to look at him so I could say quite clearly and sincerely, "Isn't it the most beautiful carpet you've ever seen?"

That stopped my dad in his tracks, and he looked to Kyle quizzically, "She _is_ okay, right?"

Kyle was at a loss for words, so Warren stepped up, "She seems to have some memory loss, and she's pretty out of it... Also possibly drugged. What we should do is call the nurse from Sky High, since she's more qualified to deal with super-human medical problems than the average doctor, and more willing to make a house call. I don't think it's a good idea to move Eve, but we really need to get a blood sample as soon possible. See if there are any drugs in her system and such, besides rum..."

"And vodka," I piped in from the floor, squinting up at them, "I like the air of command there, sound like a captain. Captain Warren... I'm going to the washroom now..."

I began crawling towards the hall, very slowly putting the astonishment on their faces behind me. Kyle, the ever merciful older brother, grabbed my arm and teleported me into the bathroom, saving me the ten minutes worth of crawling. In my opinion, the bathroom floor is just the place to be when there's a possibility of throwing up. It made me feel more secure knowing that there was a toilet a couple feet away. I curled back into a ball on the tile floor and stifled a moan. At this point I was downright mortified about my predicament, but too drunk to do anything about it. The sounds of Warren and my father conversing downstairs were too muffled to hear any distinct words, but from the tone it sounded like my dad was too concerned to be angry. Yet. That would come later. Kyle sat down on the floor with his back to the bathroom cabinet and kept me company, rubbing my back in comforting little circles. Downstairs my dad was calling someone, probably the nurse, and Warren was getting Beck up to date on what was going on. After some time had passed and things downstairs had quieted, I felt Kyle stir beside me. I'd half-thought he'd fallen asleep, since he'd stopped rubbing my back.

He sighed and asked softly, "What were you thinking, Eevee?"

"I told you I can't remember anything, and I wasn't kidding. I don't know what I was doing in that park where I got the purse from, especially the stuff inside it. I can't remember leaving my room at the institute. I don't know where I went, what I did, or why. I don't even know where I got the clothes I'm _wearing_..."

At that point I broke down into tears; it was too much too think about. Thankfully crying did not make me throw up. I just hugged my knees tighter and sobbed. Kyle lifted me up, slowly and carefully—he's such a good brother—and hugged me. I actually cried into his shoulder, which was one of those things I never thought I'd be doing. When my sobs had subsided into little sniffles and hiccups, he figured that was probably my threshold for sappy human contact and helped me lean back against the cabinet beside him. He knows me so well.

He passed me a Kleenex, asking, "So, how you feeling now?"

I thought about as I wiped my face, and replied, "Well, I can sit up now. That's good... Not sure I can stand though. Think I'm getting tired. But I think I'd like to be clean too. Decisions, decisions..."

Bed and bath decisions were put on hold though, as my father knocked on the door, letting us know that the nurse was here and Kyle should get me downstairs. He lifted me up so I wasn't leaning against anything anymore and teleported us downstairs onto the living room couch. He's clearly had more time to fine-tune his teleporting accuracy than me. My dad was just coming back down the stairs, while the nurse was opening up a large tote bag on the living room coffee table. I could hear Beck rummaging about in the kitchen, while Warren was just lurking in an out of the way corner looking very sullen and uncomfortable. I chose to ignore him; I was definitely _not_ in the right state of mind to be chatting with the confused and confusing ex-pseudo-boyfriend, which is the only term I could think of to describe him—hence, confusing.

"Oh dear, you are a mess," the nurse exclaimed, startled by our sudden appearance.

I started to nod, then thought better of it and just muttered, "I had no idea. _That_ explains why I feel like a mess."

She sighed the sigh of the long-suffering and began pulling supplies out of her medical kit, "Well we'll get right down to business, sooner we've got a sample the better. Super-human metabolic rates are... tricky. Some are the same as a regular person, some are accelerated. If that's the case for you, then any drugs might already be out of your system."

I automatically started shaking my head to disagree, and the world swam.

I clutched my head and curled up, mumbling, "I _don't_ think that's the case..."

"Then I guess we're lucky," she replied with a smile as she began cleaning a patch on my arm with an alcoholic swab.

"Yeah, lucky," I agreed sarcastically, the smell of the alcohol swab prompting another bout of retching that I barely managed to force down.

"_Sooooo_ fucking lucky...."

I remained curled up with my arm stuck out awkwardly waiting for her to stick the needle in and get it over with. Eventually I got tired of waiting, but just as I was about to ask what was taking so long she announced, "All done!"

I glanced up, surprised, "Heh, couldn't feel a thing."

"Congratulations," Beck remarked dryly, coming out of the kitchen and handing me a glass of water, "Try to keep this down."

I stared long and hard at the innocent-looking glass and stated, "I guarantee _nothing_. Now that that's done, can I go back to the fetal position on the bathroom floor?"

"There are still a few tests I'd like you to take—" the nurse started.

"If you say rape test, I'm gonna hurl," I interrupted, just finishing a sip of water.

"Well..."

I nodded to myself, declaring, "Yep, I'm gonna hurl."

Kyle took the glass away and teleported me back to the washroom, and I did indeed throw up the tiny amount of water that probably hadn't even hit my stomach yet. The sheer possibilities implied by taking that test were enough to nauseate me. I had managed to reach the toilet in time, so when I was done I flushed that and collapsed on the floor. Kyle went back to leaning against the cabinet, and I just lay there for a while trying to cool down. Vomiting is a very strenuous activity.

A knock at the door got our attention, and I'd shifted my head enough to see the door by the time Beck popped her head in to tell us that they'd decided to postpone testing until the morning on account of the fact that I wouldn't make it through the test without throwing up anyway.

"Valid point," I agreed, slowly propping myself up on my elbows, "So, what're the chances I can have a shower and go to bed?"

"What're the chances you won't fall on your face in the shower?" Beck shot back.

"... Another valid point," I conceded, imagining the consequences, "However, although I can't actually feel my face, I can feel the grime _on_ my face. It's frustrating. The cleaning up has got to happen."

Beck sighed, and then proposed a compromise, "Okay, you can have a shower, but I'm going to have to sit here and make sure that if you fall, you don't drown yourself in the tub."

I thought about her proposal for a moment and answered, "I can live with that."

I was very glad our shower curtain was completely opaque; that nice navy blue sheet of plastic protected my last shreds of dignity. Didn't matter that she was family, or female; I was glad the shower curtain wasn't see-through. Just as she expected, I slipped on the slippery floor of the bathtub. Fortunately, I fell on my side, not my face. I could actually feel the pain through my alcohol-induced numbness, which meant I was going to have interesting bruises on my right hip in the morning, not to mention the elbow that I'd attempted to break my fall with.

"Eve?" Beck called out from her post sitting on the counter.

I groaned and got back up slowly, answering, "Wasn't my face. Just my side."

"Good," she replied curtly.

No overflow of sympathy there. I finished my shower rather stiffly, mildly worried about how much my hip was going to hurt in a few hours. Beck threw a towel over the curtain and I dried off without further incident, thankfully. I even managed to get out of the shower and into my room all on my own, although I had to walk quite hunched over. Still, it was an accomplishment. Once in my room, I shooed Beck away and changed into my very comfy red pyjamas, which were decorated with penguins in little scarves. My dad came in and actually tucked me in, while Kyle put my glass of water on the bedside table and a bucket next to the bed. Kyle really takes things in stride, and my dad clearly still wasn't sure what to think. I could vaguely hear Beck downstairs getting Warren set up on the couch; it was very late at night—so late it was almost morning—too late to make a teenager find his way home alone. Besides, I was guessing Warren didn't really want to leave anyway.

I didn't have much time to dwell on Warren or my family or even the dull pain in my side, however, because even with my hip throbbing, I was still out as soon as my head hit the pillow—the one good thing the booze did for me.


	46. Trials

Disclaimer: Anyone or anything that _wasn't_ in the movie is mine, and anyone or anything that _was_ in the movie is obviously not.

Author's Note: I know, I'm terrible for updating; I'm not even going to bother explaining myself anymore. However, I do have a new chapter for those of you still reading. It was going to be longer... but then I liked the way this ending sounded so I changed my mind. I know, I'm terrible for cliffhangers too. I'm just terrible, what can I say? I'll try to update again soon though, but I guarantee _nothing_. Stay tuned!

Chapter 46: Trials

I awoke with a splitting headache and a plate of bacon, hashbrowns, and scrambled eggs shoved under my nose. It was mostly the smell of food that woke me up. Once my eyes adjusted to the light glaring in through the window I found it was Kyle holding the plate.

"Have I told you before that you're my favourite person in the whole world?" I asked, grabbing the plate and the fork that was offered along with it.

Kyle laughed, dryly replying, "Yeah, but food is usually involved, so I'm not entirely convinced of your sincerity..."

I froze with a forkful of egg halfway to my mouth as the thought occurred to me to assess my condition—namely, would I be likely to vomit if I tried eating. I moved my head around: wicked headache, but no dizziness. My stomach felt like it was about to eat itself, but other than that it was normal. My face burned from the sand bath it'd taken the night before, and my whole side was a mass of pain from falling in the shower, but other than that everything seemed to be in working order. Good. Fairly certain that I wouldn't see it again in fifteen minutes, I demolished my breakfast. Kyle nibbled on a piece of bacon while I was shoving hashbrowns into my mouth faster than I could swallow, and passed me a glass of apple juice when that caught up to me and I started choking on them.

"You're sticking around to make sure the food stays down, aren't you?" I looked up at him, taking a swig of juice and giving my esophagus a moment's peace.

"Pretty much," he shrugged, "Also, I've been told to inform you that you get to go to the nurse's office at six o'clock pm for an... examination."

"Couldn't wait until I'd finished eating, could you?" I groaned, shoving the plate away.

He hid a grin behind his hand, remarking, "Well I thought I should speed you up a bit, since it's already 5:45. You might want to clean up a bit."

"Son of a—" I exclaimed, cutting off when I rolled out of bed and fell on the floor.

I grabbed a handful of clothes and scuttled off to the washroom, forcing down a vague queasy feeling at the sudden movement, left over from the previous night's nausea. I started rushing to clean up in time for my appointment, then remembered that I really didn't care if I was on time, it's not like they'd asked me when I'd like to go. So I took my time, had a proper shower, and felt quite refreshed when I arrived at the nurse's office at 6:30. She didn't even bother calling me on it, just waved me through into the examination room. I'd really rather not talk about what went on in there... suffice it to say that test was negative, and I didn't need to have a mental breakdown. Another one, anyway. When that unmentionable exam was finished, Nurse Spex gave me the results of the various tests she'd put my blood sample through. There had been so much alcohol in my system that there's a good chance my blood was flammable, for one thing, but I'd already guessed that.

"Also, it appears you were on ecstasy and cocaine. I must say, I'm quite disappointed in your conduct, and surprised you aren't dead in a ditch somewhere. Why is a good girl like yourself putting your poor family through all this?" the nurse lectured, scanning over a sheet with charts and things on it.

I hung my head, repeating yet again, "I swear, I can't remember anything. And no, it's not just because I drank so much I blacked out; my memory ends when I was still completely sober. Is there an explanation that makes sense? And would a couple Tylenol hurt? Because my head is killing me."

The nurse let up, giving me the Tylenol and a plastic cup of water, "I'll admit that is odd. I'd think you're lying, but strange things do seem to happen to you. A lot. I can't think of any reason for your fugue state at the moment, but I'll look into it," she sighed, pointing out the trash can for the cup, "Other than that, there's nothing else to do here. You're free to go. Of course, I'm going to have to tell your father the results."

She held up her hands apologetically when I groaned, explaining, "My hands are tied. You're under eighteen, so I have to inform your father of everything. Before you go, don't you have some healing powers? Because you're limping and your face is lacerated..."

"Forgot about that," I admitted, laughing weakly as I turned on the healing power.

My side was still a bit sore after I'd healed as much as I could, but my face felt gloriously normal. That done, I went home to recuperate from that unpleasant experience. I teleported straight to my room on the off chance that Warren was still hanging around. Avoidant? Me? No...

For a short while, it was more or less the same routine as the institute; just swapping one room for another, smaller room. This room just didn't have turn-down service. Or a toaster. But I could live with that. I listened to music and sat on my bed reading or doodling; unfortunately I didn't have a television or a computer in my room. Nobody bothered me, and I was very grateful for that. Since I'd woken up around late afternoon I ended up awake 'til six in the morning. I rather enjoyed everyone being asleep; nobody was telling me to do this or do that, asking me why I wouldn't date Warren, or why I'd gone on a crazy bender that I couldn't remember—it was peaceful. Eventually I fell asleep listening to Breaking Benjamin, my right arm and leg dangling off the edge of the bed and a blanket wrapped around my head.

It seemed like only a couple hours before I was being woken up again, and maybe it seemed like that because it actually was only a couple hours. At eight in the morning my dad pulled the blanket off my head and forced me out of bed, claiming I had to wake up so I wouldn't turn nocturnal. The fact that he was right didn't make me feel any better after two hours of sleep. I trudged into the washroom to have a nice, long shower, letting the hot water relax my tense muscles. Feeling slightly better, but in desperate need of sugar to wake me up, I wrapped a towel around myself and walked out of the washroom. Straight into Warren.

"Warren," I exclaimed, blushing and jumping back, "You— What...? Why are you always in my house?" I blurted out.

"I wanted to know that you were alright," he answered hesitantly, reaching out to touch my cheek and stopping—wisely—halfway, "You, umm, you _look_ alright..."

I clutched the towel to my chest self-consciously, as always discomfited by Warren's sheer closeness, replying, "Well, I'm fine. So, now that you see... _that_, you have no reason to stick around."

I turned around hastily and made a bee line for my door, but he caught up to me and blocked me from the sanctuary of my room with his arm. I was so hoping I'd make it inside that I actually clothes-lined myself with his arm and had to grab onto it to keep from falling. He grasped my arm to steady me—and to keep me from getting away. I glanced up and found him staring intently into my eyes from inches away. I quickly ducked my head down so I was looking safely at his chest instead. Still holding the front of my towel in a death grip with one hand, I put the other hand on his chest for balance and tried to pull my arm free, to no avail. I licked my lips and continued looking down awkwardly; looking anywhere but his face, in fact.

"Come on, Eevee, we really need to talk," he murmured, easing his grip but not letting go.

"Listen, Warren," I forced the words out painfully, "We probably do need to talk. But quite frankly I really don't _want_ to. I don't understand half of what's going on anymore. However, I _do_ know my mother's powers. For that kind of control... I told you if you made me regret it you'd be in a world of hurt, but I can't—can't hurt... I can walk away though. Please—just leave me alone."

He was still recovering from the shock of my words when I phased through his arm into my room and promptly teleported away. I didn't even know where I was going; I just wanted to be anywhere but there when I started to cry.


	47. Through Glass

Disclaimer: Anyone or anything that _wasn't_ in the movie is mine, and anyone or anything that _was_ in the movie is obviously not.

Author's Note: Finally got another chapter out! And that's all I have to say about that...

Chapter 47: Through Glass

Know that feeling you get when you spontaneously appear in the middle of a Kindergarten classroom bawling your eyes out in nothing but a towel? Yeah, me neither...

After my first completely uneventful landing, I relocated to a more secluded spot. In the privacy of the deserted girls' locker room I had myself a proper cry—at least I think I did; never actually had a proper cry before, but I imagine it'd be something like that. I was very glad nobody was around to witness it: I don't cry well...

A few hours of sobbing and shrieking can really exhaust a person, so after that intense cry session I found myself sprawled on the tile floor and realized I had no more tears left in me. I was also perilously close to falling asleep right there on the floor, which would make things pretty awkward when the first gym class of the day wandered in to change the next day. Especially since I would have to explain why a whole section of lockers was so dented they looked like they'd somehow gone three rounds in a boxing ring. I dragged myself up onto a bench and swiped at my eyes. Since I'd been bawling for hours and grinding saltwater into the skin around my eyes, it really stung. Now that I was snapping out of my breakdown I began noticing things, such as the fact that I'd been shivering on the locker room floor in a towel with wet hair all morning. And the salt soaked into my towel was making me itchy. Freezing and itchy is a very unpleasant combination.

I stood up on shaky legs and made my way to the sinks. I turned on a faucet and splashed some water on my face, only then risking a glance in the mirror. Once again, very glad there was nobody around to see me. I stuck around long enough to get myself together somewhat, while not long enough to risk relapsing into another meltdown—it's a fine line. Then I teleported to my room. I was honestly a bit worried that Warren would be waiting there for me, but either he got tired of waiting to ambush me or he actually took the hint. I breathed a sigh of relief and sank down into a pile of clothes by the foot of the bed. I proceeded to make an impromptu shelter out of the clothes, snuggled in and dozed for about an hour.

I woke up to Kyle knocking on the door, calling me down for a late lunch. Despite my mumbled dismissal, or perhaps because of it, he came in anyway.

"Hey Eevee? Eve..? E—why're you hiding in a pile of laundry? I know you're going nocturnal and trying to be more like Gollum, but I got news for you: he wasn't big on clothes..." Kyle trailed off, nudging my laundry lair with his foot.

I swatted at his foot and bluntly replied, "Don't want food. Shoo."

"You know, I kinda figured so when I saw dazed young Warren wandering out of here all wounded-looking a while back. Broke his poor little heart, didn't you?" my not-so-sympathetic brother asked, plopping down on the bed uninvited.

"No," I lied, trying to be impervious to his deadpan stare, "Maybe. Probably..."

He nodded slowly, mulling it over, "Well, can't say I'm surprised. In his defence, you've been especially confusing lately. What with avoiding him like the plague, then trying to ravage him in a public park, and then _officially_ ripping out his heart..." I groaned and burrowed deeper, and he continued after a thoughtful pause, "Although... I did tell him he should give you some space to sort out all this craziness, and he ignored my sage advice. So. Let that be a lesson to everyone, going against my suggestion has dire consequences. Get out of there."

"I'm wearing a towel. Shoo," once again I tried the dismissal, then his words sunk in, "Wait, what? You talked to him about me? What'd you say? What'd _he_ say? Wait, no, I don't care. Nope. Shoo shoo."

He got up to leave, chuckling, "Gotta work on your poker face. And I said the best thing he could do was leave you alone for a bit and not attempt forcing you to have 'the talk'. Apparently he didn't listen, and got shut _down_. Like I warned him he would. Okay, I've used up my whole week's quota of talking. If you have things _you'd_ like to talk about, you know I'm better at listening. But now I want pancakes."

"I'd join you, because I actually really _do_ want pancakes, but I can't show my face in public right now," I lamented from my hiding place.

"Reason?" he asked, reverting back to his sparsely worded ways.

"I may've been crying for the past while..." I admitted reluctantly.

"I'll bring back some blueberry pancakes," he said on his way out, "with English cream. If you behave."

"You're a saint!" I yelled through the door at him.

I never got a reply, so he might've teleported. Or he might've just been fatigued from stringing together so many complete sentences. In an effort to be presentable by the time he came back with the promised pancakes, I had another shower and took some eye drops. They were meant for allergies, but it'd have to do. Exceedingly cautious, I poked my head out the bathroom door to scan the hallway before hustling to my door and slamming the door behind me. After turning on my stereo to randomly shuffle through my eclectic music collection, I zoned out as I puttered around my room getting myself presentable enough to perhaps venture outside. It was still fairly early in the afternoon, and as leery as I was of seeing, well, anyone, there were some things that I had to take care of.

I surveyed myself in the mirror when I'd finished dressing and putting on my makeup and my eyebrows rose sharply in surprise at the finished product of my absent-minded preparations. For starters, I was wearing a clingy, dark red top comprised mainly of sheer lace with just enough strategically placed opaque fabric to justify being called a shirt instead of a teddy. Maybe. I'm not always terribly attentive to my wardrobe, but I was about 99% certain I'd never seen this shirt before in my life, let alone owned it. Over top that was a sleek, black leather jacket—which I also didn't recall owning—that came to about mid-thigh. I was wearing the same knee-high leather boots I'd been wearing when I came to in that playground the other night, and black skinny jeans, which actually _did_ come out of my own closet. On top of the strange clothes, I was wearing entirely more makeup than I usually would. Dark, smoky eye shadow, mascara, and thick eyeliner made my eyes shockingly blue, and my lips were made darker by a gloss that tasted like black cherries. I was also wearing foundation, which I didn't own, to cover up the faint abrasions under my eyes from crying and grinding the salt in. My hair was done up in a bun and held by black lacquered chopsticks, which I was also pretty sure I didn't own. Lastly, I was wearing a silver chain around my neck, with a black cat charm resting just above the generous cleavage I was showing. All in all, I looked nothing like my usual self. I peered at my reflection, confused about everything; the strange clothes, the new style, how I'd done myself up like this without even noticing...

After finding no answers in the mirror, I turned to investigate my room for clues. Rummaging through my closet, I found several articles of clothing I didn't recall buying. There was new makeup in one of my drawers, as well as a pair of fedoras, one white and one black, that I hadn't noticed before hanging on the far bedpost. There was also the purse from my fugue night, recovered from where I'd thrown it into a corner, now resting on the edge of the bed.

As I crossed the room to pick it up, Come Out Swinging by The Offspring was replaced by a bass-heavy dance song, and I was suddenly struck by a burst of fragmented memories. Flashes of sight and sensation ripped through my head, sending me into an epileptic fit, and it was all I could do not to bite my own tongue off as my muscles seized painfully. Brightly coloured lights strobing through dark clubs, grinding bodies pressing against me in the confined space, men yelling to be heard over ridiculously loud, pulsing music, trying to hold my attention, the vaguely nauseating taste of alcohol on my tongue as shot after shot were pounded back, the lights swirling faster...

I managed to neither bite off my tongue _nor_ vomit—which was really difficult—and struggling against the mental overload and spasms, I swung my arm up, groping around until my fingers found the power button on the stereo. I turned it off, and in the following silence the harsh sensory bombardment triggered by the music came to an end, the firing synapses in my brain slowing and the flickering memories growing less intense. I drew in ragged breaths as I lay sprawled on my floor, unable to do more than stare at the ceiling and twitch. After what seemed like an hour I carefully hoisted myself up into a sitting position and leaned against the bed, plucking the one chopstick that had survived out of my tangled hair and wiping away the tears tracking down my face that had been squeezed out of me when I was convulsing. By the way, that eye makeup was amazingly water resistant... I sat there trying to piece together what the hell had just happened to me until Kyle popped back in with the promised pancakes.

"Up and dressed... like a ho? Hey, Eevee, you okay...?" he trailed off, taking in my dishevelled, post-seizure appearance.

My head shot up at the sound of his voice, and I winced as my muscles protested the movement. I slowly crawled up to sit on the edge of the bed as I earnestly began telling him what had happened in his absence.

"It was so weird!" I exclaimed, "I was getting dressed, and listening to music, right? Then the song changed and I—" abruptly, the words caught in my throat, nearly choking me.

I had no idea where it came from as I continued, "I—I... thought maybe we should try out some new songs for the club. I'm thinking we need more beat, better dancing music. Rock's great and all, but people come to clubs to _move_."

I blinked, startled at the words that had come out my mouth. My hand came up to touch my throat as I tried again to tell me about the seizure and the flashes of memory that provoked it, but nothing came out. Before my brow could fully crinkle in confusion, I felt it smooth itself out as a fake smile pasted itself across my mute mouth. _What the hell..._ I thought, my heart starting to pound as I panicked on the inside, outwardly smiling pleasantly at Kyle. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously at my comment, setting down a takeout bag and sitting beside me.

"Never thought I'd hear you say that, considering you can't dance... But okay, we'll... look into it? I thought you were quitting. You said you were quitting..." he said slowly, weighing his words.

"Yeah... I think it was just stress," I drawled, the foreign words continuing to roll out of me, "I really should carry on living, not let that little incident define my life. I should go back to school, go back to work, socialize... just be _normal_. Right?"

My politician's smile was unnerving Kyle, I could tell, but I was reciting exactly what everyone wanted to hear, so he smiled back hesitantly and agreed, "Right. Ahh... should we go down to the club and let Jake know he still has his lead singer?"

Screaming inside, I smirked at myself in the mirror as I replied, "Oh _yes_. That's first on my list of things to do today. I have _big_ plans..."


	48. Puppet

Disclaimer: Anyone or anything that _wasn't_ in the movie is mine, and anyone or anything that _was_ in the movie is obviously not.

Author's Note: Wow, some of you guys are _dedicated_. Actually shamed me back into writing. Consequently putting off other things like homework, studying, boyfriend... I get side-tracked. Point is, it's true; I couldn't leave everyone hanging. And I think I've got some ideas for where to go with the story now, so hopefully, _hopefully_ I'll update again soon. After the studying.

Chapter 48: Puppet

So here's a fun fact, previously unknown, about the Ghost's power: when she's in your head, you can see right back into her. I don't know if that little detail had never been mentioned because most of her mind-raped victims killed themselves before they could write a tell-all book, or because this phenomenon had simply never occurred before. After all, none of her other puppets had been a direct blood-relative, and they also hadn't been possessed by the Ghost in the purest and most ironic sense of the word _ever_. Perhaps that makes a difference. Perhaps not. At the time, I wasn't considering doing a study on it or interviewing survivors—a group that I suspected I wasn't going to end up joining—because I was too busy metaphorically screaming myself hoarse in my own head.

I could feel her picking through my brain for memories and information to assist in her assimilation of my life; it felt exactly like someone digging around with their fingers in my grey matter, which is a terribly disturbing and invasive sensation, as I'm sure you can imagine. But worst of all was that all the while she was searching through my brain, I was bombarded by a constant stream of images and thoughts—essentially, every time she opened the connection to root around in my mind, her whole life story flooded back into me. Useful, some might say. After all, knowledge is power, right?

Wrong. There was absolutely no filter on this sensory assault, and she had done some _bad_ things in her life. Things that nobody should ever have to witness—let alone relive through her eyes—because they had the potential to break an ordinary person. Sights that only a total psychopath could see without feeling nauseous. In short: there are regular villains, who want money or power or infamy or revenge, and then there are true monsters. Malevolent soulless killers, born with god-like powers by some sick twist of fate, who just wanted to destroy. This is what I felt, like an unprotected nerve, every time she peeked in. I was being driven insane myself from reliving her twisted life. Hence the screaming. It was more cause for concern when I finally _stopped_ feeling the need to shriek and howl at the horrors. I shudder to think how much humanity may have been seared out of me while that bitch took over my life.

Having been displaced in my own body, I was equal parts furious, terrified, and desperate, but there was also a bleak awareness that she was living my life better than me. She is (was?)—I've never been so confused as to what tense to use for a dead person before—a very clever sociopath. I can only hope to be so organized, calm, cool and collected when I grow up. But I'm pretty sure I'd have to sacrifice my soul to get that, so... I'll stick with my chaotic fumbling and awkwardness. A completely moot point, however, since I was no longer me, anyway. In five days, she'd managed to get my job back—and even get a raise—restock my wardrobe and rearrange my whole room to her more classy taste, pacify my family as to my (her? _Our?_) sanity, get settled into and excel at classes I barely knew I was enrolled in, somehow talk Principal Powers into letting her juvenile villainous lackeys out on probation, and get back on good terms with my friends, with the exception of Warren. All of this. While somehow convincing everyone that this was perfectly normal. How..? The suavity that she (I?) suddenly possessed should've been an immediate tip-off that something strange was going on.

What I found most impressive though, was that not only did she (I?) continue to ignore Warren; she did so with such style and aplomb that, once I'd stopped rocking back and forth in a tiny corner of my mind, I looked on in awe and almost wanted to _be_ her. Now _that_ is messed up. But honestly, she managed to avoid ever talking to him; and without hiding in broom closets or hasty changes in direction when she saw him in the hallway, too. She just plan acted like he didn't exist. She even somehow did this without looking like a petulant child. Why can't I do that? If I hadn't been preoccupied trying—and, of course, failing—to eject the Ghost from my head, I'd have whipped out a mental pen and paper and taken mental notes. Although, maybe he'd taken my last words to him to heart and was leaving me alone, as he hadn't tried much at all to talk to me (her) since. So perhaps I'd simply made her job of ignoring him less difficult. Yeah. That why she made it look so easy... Sure.

Her (my?) sheer disregard for Warren was also just accepted as normal. True, after all that'd occurred, I suppose that a certain reluctance to deal with him on my part wouldn't be that strange—certainly not as strange as me suddenly developing charisma or pleading a convincing case for two-strike criminals such as Lash, Speed, and Penny, who everyone knew I kind of despised.. to get out of super-juvy with mere slaps on the wrist... Maybe I in particular found it odd because I was the only one who knew that I _wasn't_ me; and while I knew why _I_ would avoid Warren, I had no idea why the Ghost wouldn't want to talk to him. Why would she care? As it was, though, her behavior towards Warren—or lack thereof—was causing him to break away from the group, even though he was their friend long before I got there. And stranger still: they were just letting him fade away. Did he do that often? More likely, the social strings that the Ghost was manipulating were so delicate, nobody could even detect it. Clever wench. She was also causing the juvenile delinquents to... not exactly _outcast _Lash, but they were definitely giving him the cold shoulder. That, at least, I could understand: he had sort of defected during that epic battle in the gymnasium.

Yet another thing I couldn't understand was her (my?) relationship with the juvenile delinquents. She was too cautious to outright tell anyone who she actually was, yet she'd somehow convinced them anyway that I was their new leader. As far as I know, I've never shown any villainous tendencies—aside from murder—so I have no idea why they'd believe that I was suddenly a bad guy. Either they weren't too bright and needed somebody to take orders from, or not _everyone_ believed that I hadn't suffered a life-changing mental breakdown and had my personality flipped like a pancake. Or both. Probably both. So, she (I?) would meet with her lackeys in secret and hang out with my friends in public, while Warren prowled the outskirts and Lash sort of dithered between his friends and the sidelines. Seems like a fragile ecosystem, yet she kept it balanced on a razor blade while still going out every night and abusing my poor body. She never went as crazy—poor word choice?—as the first night that she took over, but I still don't understand how my body wasn't falling apart.

By the way, now that I was privy to every single thing she'd ever done, I could recall, quite vividly, what went on in that blank section of my life. I'd rather not delve too deeply into it, so here's a short summary: hitting up old contacts to make multiple fake IDs, several bottles of alcohol, clubs, smoking, cage dancing, shots, men literally fighting over her, make out sessions with random (at least very attractive) men, lines of coke in bathrooms, and lastly, taking a couple little white pills and washing them down with shots of straight vodka before going off to find a swing set—which had become the most important quest in the entire world, apparently. I'm seriously amazed that I survived that night, but I'm betting that if I was just an average human, I wouldn't have. Maybe that's what she'd been hoping for. I shudder to think.

Anyway, the point is that she was wearing down her vessel at an alarming rate; particularly alarming since that vessel was me. She was getting entirely too much pleasure out of using me like an amusement park. I know exactly how much sleep she got, between school, work, and her... extracurriculars—since, being a non-corporeal... something (spirit?) trapped in my own head, I was always awake—and it was little enough to make even an insomniac cringe. Whatever happened to such novel ideas as beauty sleep? Still, she kept it together, though she did get me addicted to coffee. That bitch...

The point is: something had to give. Preferably before she ran me into the ground, or worse, managed to succeed in whatever new plot she was soon to cook up. I could sense her growing restless; bored of destroying just me. Wouldn't be long before she needed more. Fortunately, things were indeed about to get stirred up.

She was stowing some textbooks in my locker when a strong hand grabbed her by the shoulder and whipped her around, bringing her face to face with Warren. I was mildly impressed; it's not easy to sneak up on the Ghost. She hid her shock well, but rewarded his stealth with an elegant arch of her eyebrow—the first time she'd actually looked directly _at_ Warren. Cool as a cucumber, she just adjusted her hips and waited for him to explain himself.

Hand still firmly holding her in place, he stared intensely into her eyes—so intensely I almost thought he could see me—and asked, "Who are you?"

My heart skipped for a moment; the closest I'd come to controlling my body in days. Then again, that could've just been the Ghost being startled, but I could hope. Warren _suspected_! Not everyone was so complacent with the disappearance of the old Eve. Whether she was startled or no, of course the Ghost didn't so much as bat an eyelash.

"Forgot so soon?" she replied coolly, "And there I thought we had something special."

"Oh save it," Warren shot back, "I don't know who you are yet, but I do know you're not Eve. If you're a shifter, then hand her over. And if you're in her head, then get out. Then I won't have to hurt you. You can go on your own way, I won't interfere. Just let. Her. Go."

A shock went through her; he'd spoken with such certainty. Once again, though, she didn't show a single outward sign. Instead, she pulled an unexpected move. Her entire body language changed. Hunching her shoulders and lowering her chin, she seemed to cave in on herself as tears sprang to her eyes. Warren blinked in confusion and let go of her shoulder. No...

There was a slight waver to her voice as she said, "So you think I'm a villain, just because I'm trying to get over you and move on? Make something different of my life? I told you I was walking away. It's required a lot of change. Why can't you just leave me alone?"

Warren blinked again and stepped back, doubt written all over his face as he tried to find something to say. She slammed my locker shut and stalked away angrily before he had a chance to reply. Just like I would've. Clever. He just stayed there, standing where she'd left him, re-thinking his accusations. Dammit.

'_Don't believe her, Warren. Don't forget about me...'_


End file.
